[How-To] Unlock the bootloader of xperia devices

mihahn · Nov 11, 2012

karyk said:
I followed the official guide from Sony and everything was going fine until I was supposed to write the fastboot command, than it just says <Waiting for device>. "Fastboot devices" command also gives me nothing, so it obviously doesn't communicate with the phone. Bootloader unlock is allowed and i have USB debugging mode checked.

When I connect the phone in fastboot mode, blue LED lights up and computer recognizes it (in Device manager I see Android phone and Android bootloader interface below it - and it says that the device is working properly), before I Installed the Sony fastboot driver (android_winusb.inf) there was "S1boot Fastboot" with yellow exclamation mark in the device manager, so everything seems to be in order... When the phone is connected in USB debugging mode and I write "adb devices" in cmd it shows me the device (BX902ZCAEU), then I write "adb reboot bootloader" and it reboots into bootloader, but fastboot still isn't working. Essentially, everything is like in this video (youtube.com/watch?v=f5W2BC7O8J4 - I just registered, so I can't post links...) except the fastboot isn't working.

The phone is running stock ICS (4.1.B.0.587) and it is rooted using this guide (talk.sonymobile.com/thread/41119?start=0&tstart=0) - but I had the same issues before it was rooted, so that's not causing the problem. I tried installing/reinstalling multiple android_winusb.inf drivers including the one from the "Howto: Install the Android SDK" guide on cyanogenmod wiki (which should have support for all cyanogenmod supported devices). I have also tried using PdaNet to install drivers (like some forums suggested), restoring the device with Sony PC companion and most importantly I also tried it with my brothers phone (Xperia pro) and on two different computers (Win7 x64 and Win7 x86) and I still have the same issue - so the problem seems to be between the chair and the keyboard...
Also It's worth mentioning that when I installed Android SDK, fastboot.exe was in platform-tools (not tools) folder so I was running it from there, but than I also tried copying it to the tools folder (without and than with the other contents of the platform-tools folder) and i tried copying contents of the tools folder to the platform-tools folder (basically I tried to run it in both locations in every condition possible). And I tried using multiple fastboot.exe files which I downloaded from the internet.
At this point I have exhausted any possible (and impossible) options I could think of.

Any suggestions? Please, I'm starting to get desperate...

Okay, try uinstalling the "S1boot Fastboot" driver and connect device, windows will search for drivers, you stop that and point to the winusb file. Then the device should be recognized.

If not, try it with the SE Bootloader Unlocking tool, maybe this one works :good:

cachiputi · Nov 11, 2012

mihahn said:
Okay I think I know now what has happened:
If you unlock via wotan server it could be like unlocking via testpoint method. The status in service menu won't change, but the bootloader is unlocked.

Please try to flash a custom kernel (boot.img) and it should work :good:

Maybe you could just tell us if it works

Ok, it proved, to see if hopefully this Rom and Kernel rise again to download it. I will comment on here if it works.

Thanks for your time.

Incidentally, the license to use WotanServer I had to make the phone the Test Point.

karyk · Nov 11, 2012

mihahn said:
Okay, try uinstalling the "S1boot Fastboot" driver and connect device, windows will search for drivers, you stop that and point to the winusb file. Then the device should be recognized.

If not, try it with the SE Bootloader Unlocking tool, maybe this one works :good:

Done that, several times actually...After that, the device is recognized by the computer, in the Device manager I see "Android phone" and Android bootloader interface" below it (when the phone is conected in fastboot of course) - and it says, the device is working properly. But no luck with fastboot.

As for the SE Bootloader Unlocking tool, I will try it, but I don't have much faith in it. Because a few hours ago I tried it using the flashtool (and Installed the drivers from flashtool... like this SE Bootloader Ulocking tool guide says). The SE bootloader tool seems to me like pretty much the same deal as the flashtool.

Using the Flashtool There is something weird going on - when I hold the volume down button and turn the phone on green led shines and flashtool says "device conected in flashmode", so that's okay. When I do the same with volume up button blue led shines (which is fine) but the flashtool will again say "device conected in flashmode". I can't wrap my head around this.

thanks for the answer

mihahn · Nov 11, 2012

karyk said:
Done that, several times actually...After that, the device is recognized by the computer, in the Device manager I see "Android phone" and Android bootloader interface" below it (when the phone is conected in fastboot of course) - and it says, the device is working properly. But no luck with fastboot.

As for the SE Bootloader Unlocking tool, I will try it, but I don't have much faith in it. Because a few hours ago I tried it using the flashtool (and Installed the drivers from flashtool... like this SE Bootloader Ulocking tool guide says). The SE bootloader tool seems to me like pretty much the same deal as the flashtool.

Using the Flashtool There is something weird going on - when I hold the volume down button and turn the phone on green led shines and flashtool says "device conected in flashmode", so that's okay. When I do the same with volume up button blue led shines (which is fine) but the flashtool will again say "device conected in flashmode". I can't wrap my head around this.

thanks for the answer

That's really strange, but ypur phone says bootloader unlock allowed:yes?

Please try the tool, maybe it works...

Sent from my SK17i running Jelly Bean via CM10

karyk · Nov 11, 2012

mihahn said:
That's really strange, but ypur phone says bootloader unlock allowed:yes?

Please try the tool, maybe it works...

Sent from my SK17i running Jelly Bean via CM10

Installed the Flashtool drivers, tried the tool (everything like in the guide), no luck - it actually froze when I hit the unlock bootloader button.
Then i uninstalled drivers again and connected the sk17i in fastboot, but this time i let windows to find drivers online (before I just skippped it and installed the android_winusb manually right away) and it did install SEMC Flash Device (I see it under USB controles in device manager). So it seems like the device doesn't actually go into fastboot mode (even though blue LED shines...).

I also tried unlocking the bootloader via the testpoint method and there I ended up with error (qcReceivePacket: can't get packet start.) at the end of the procedure... But that seems to caused by my phone manufacturing date being 12W18 (apparently this method only works with devices that have been manufactured earlier...)
Now I'm really lost... I'm gonna try downgrading the phone to stock GB and start over, i have made it my personal endeavour to make this work, so I'm gonna try to change anything even remotely connected to my problem...

mihahn · Nov 11, 2012

If your phone isn't recognized, how about opening flashtool, click on the flash, fastboot mode, reboot into fastboot mode? What's happening then?

Yes try it on gingerbread again...

Sent from my SK17i running Jelly Bean via CM10

karyk · Nov 11, 2012

mihahn said:
If your phone isn't recognized, how about opening flashtool, click on the flash, fastboot mode, reboot into fastboot mode? What's happening then?

Yes try it on gingerbread again...

Sent from my SK17i running Jelly Bean via CM10

Did that already "reboot into fastboot mode (via ADB)" reboots the phone and blue LED is on, but the flashtool will again say "device conected in flashmode"... "reboot int fastboot mode (via fastboot)" obviously doesn't work as the device is not in the fastboot mode. Before I had the flashtool I also did write "adb reboot bootloader" in cmd, it rebooted with blue led, but than "fastboot devices" command gave me nothing (as expected, because It's the same thing as when i do it with flashtool)...

Just successfully finished downgrading to 4.0.2.A.0.62, but I got to go for now. I'll try it in the evening and post the result.
thx for helping

cachiputi · Nov 11, 2012

cachiputi said:
Ok, it proved, to see if hopefully this Rom and Kernel rise again to download it. I will comment on here if it works.

Thanks for your time.

Incidentally, the license to use WotanServer I had to make the phone the Test Point.

Works!!

I instaled KernelPanik and ICS rom

WotanServer open and unloked BootLoader

THANKS!!

karyk · Nov 11, 2012

karyk said:
Did that already "reboot into fastboot mode (via ADB)" reboots the phone and blue LED is on, but the flashtool will again say "device conected in flashmode"... "reboot int fastboot mode (via fastboot)" obviously doesn't work as the device is not in the fastboot mode. Before I had the flashtool I also did write "adb reboot bootloader" in cmd, it rebooted with blue led, but than "fastboot devices" command gave me nothing (as expected, because It's the same thing as when i do it with flashtool)...

Just successfully finished downgrading to 4.0.2.A.0.62, but I got to go for now. I'll try it in the evening and post the result.
thx for helping

So I tried getting the fastboot work with the downgraded phone and still the same issue. Although one thing has changed, when the phone is connected in USB debugging mode and I write "adb devices" into the cmd it reports a different code than before (used to report BX902ZCAEU, now it says 42583930325A43414555). This is just getting weirder and weirder... I'm out of ideas, could this possibly be a phone related problem?

icarious · Nov 12, 2012

thanks

kovacslaszlo13 · Nov 12, 2012

Thank's a lot!

karyk · Nov 13, 2012

Fastboot it does not

So I´ve confirmed that the problem is indeed with my SK17i. It doesn´t matter if I connect the phone holding the volume UP button or volume DOWN, it simply behaves the same way (only difference is that the LED is either blue or green).
The Flashtool always says that the device is in flash mode, doesn´t matter if the LED is blue or green. When updating/restoring via PC companion or SEUS it doesn´t matter if I connect the phone with volume UP or DOWN, it works either way. I also tried getting fastboot to work in Ubuntu and while assigning UDEV rules I found out that it reports the same thing in both cases (using the lsusb command it repported 0fce:adde in both cases - and 0fce:0166 in normal mode and 0fce:5166 in USB debug).
My only explonation for this is that the phone is either faulty, or it is lying (Cose it does indeed say "Bootloader unlock allowed: yes"). So It seems that I'm stuch with stock - which is really annoying since I really like the phone but I can't say the same thing about the firmware.
I doubt there is any solution for that, but if anyone has any idea please post it, I'm subscribed to this forum.

mikkkey · Nov 13, 2012

@karyk:
I had the same problem...blue lights on but command window says "waiting for device":silly: so I downloaded another fastboot.exe and it worked

try this here: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/how-to-unlock-bootloader-on-sony-xperia-s-2/

karyk · Nov 13, 2012

mikkkey said:
@karyk:
I had the same problem...blue lights on but command window says "waiting for device":silly: so I downloaded another fastboot.exe and it worked try this here: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/how-to-unlock-bootloader-on-sony-xperia-s-2/

If you had read my last post carefully, you would probably find out that I don't really have the same problem as you did. But I'm currently on a boring lecture, so I have some time and I tried your fastboot.exe anyway - unsuccsessfully as expeted... Thanks for the reply anyway.

mihahn · Nov 13, 2012

karyk said:
If you had read my last post carefully, you would probably find out that I don't really have the same problem as you did. But I'm currently on a boring lecture, so I have some time and I tried your fastboot.exe anyway - unsuccsessfully as expeted... Thanks for the reply anyway.

There are some devices where fastboot is disabled, but I don't know how to enable. I think it is impossible mate

Maybe if somebody knows how to enable fastboot, please let us know :good:

karyk · Nov 14, 2012

mihahn said:
There are some devices where fastboot is disabled, but I don't know how to enable. I think it is impossible mate

Maybe if somebody knows how to enable fastboot, please let us know :good:

So I explained my problem at xperia support forums and the guy there told me that only thing I could do is to call local support team and have the phone examined

... I'm not gonna do that cose I need to use the phone and there are no other problems with it.

I used Flashtool to flash a different 4.1.b.0.587 (which seems to be faster than the one I got updating in SEUS), I also rooted it and removed everything I don't need. The performance is very good right now - but still, I would like some features of custom ROMs and kernels.

Thanks for all the answers.

banguncool · Nov 17, 2012

Why I can't open *#*#7378423#*#* menu after Unlocked bootloader and some mod?

mihahn · Nov 17, 2012

banguncool said:
Why I can't open *#*#7378423#*#* menu after Unlocked bootloader and some mod?

Some custom roms/mods remove this menu, because they think you won't need it. You could take the servicemenu apk from stock rom or another stock based rom, then you can use it again :good:

Sent from my SK17i running Jelly Bean via CM10

banguncool · Nov 17, 2012

mihahn said:
Some custom roms/mods remove this menu, because they think you won't need it. You could take the servicemenu apk from stock rom or another stock based rom, then you can use it again :good:

Sent from my SK17i running Jelly Bean via CM10

Ok thanks