[GUIDE] Easiest Step-By-Step Tutorial To Upgrade/Reset Your Bionic to Stock 5.9.905

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crobs808

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2007
1,238
240
United States
[GUIDE] Easiest Step-By-Step Tutorial To Upgrade/Reset Your Bionic to Stock 5.9.905 + Root
<< This is for people who need to upgrade or get back to the latest Gingerbread Stock ROM release. >>

OVERVIEW: This guide will get your Bionic on the Stock 5.9.905 release (Gingerbread). These steps are universal for all Bionics, and work as long as you have not upgraded your phone past the .232 ICS leak. This process is called 'performing an FXZ' (in other words, 'resetting your phone to the latest factory default state').

CAUTION: Before beginning these steps, make sure you have backed up all personal data that you do not want to lose. This process WILL wipe all internal user data, apps and settings! You can put your backup on your external SD card if you like since this process will NOT modify any files on your SD card. As with any user guide, do this is at your own risk.

DEPENDENCIES:
This guide assumes you have a Verizon Droid Bionic phone and are running as an administrator user on Windows XP or later.

  1. Be sure that your battery has at least 75% charge and make sure your phone is NOT plugged into your computer. Do NOT attempt this process with a battery level lower than 75%.
  2. Power off your Bionic and make sure it is not plugged into anything
  3. In Windows, go into Control Panel, "Programs and Features" (or "Add/Remove Programs" in XP) and uninstall any existing Motorola phone or USB drivers.
  4. Download and install the latest Motorola USB drivers [mirror] and RSD Lite v5.7 [mirror].
  5. On your Bionic, while holding down both volume keys, press and hold the power button until you see a black and white menu selection screen. Press Volume Down twice, to select "AP FastBoot" then press Volume Up just once to activate that mode.
  6. Plug your phone into your PC (If you are using a Desktop, then be sure to use one of the USB ports on the BACK of your computer). Let Windows complete installing the multiple device drivers necessary for the Bionic (do NOT unplug it during this time). You may be prompted to reboot; if so go ahead and do it.
  7. Right click on RSD Lite, and select "Run as administrator" (or just double-click on XP/2003)
  8. Your device should be showing in line 1. Click on it to select it, then click the browse button to the right of the "Filename" box - it looks like three dots, [...]
  9. Download this 5.9.905 FZX zip file and place it in the root of your hard drive (e.g. C:\). Select this file then click the "Decompress And Start Flashing" button.
  10. Your phone will now go through a 15-20 minute flashing process. Be patient! Once finished you should see it load the "Welcome" screen with the picture of the large green android. You are finished! You may now setup and use your phone.
NOTE REGARDING STEP 10: It is VERY important that you be patient. Even if you think the process is frozen, it probably is not. Some of the parts that get updated take a very long time (especially the 'Webtop' segment) so just wait it out. If you see "Failed" or "Error" text at any point, then you should unplug your phone and start this process over again from the beginning. If you continue to see these errors then try a different USB port on your computer, or a different computer altogether.

===

OPTIONAL: How To Root 5.9.905 (or any Gingerbread ROM)

OVERVIEW: Once you have completed the above steps to get your phone into a stock 5.9.905 state (or any Gingerbread ROM for that matter), then these steps will help you root your phone. Rooting your phone allows you deeper access to your phone's file system and gives your phone other more advanced functionality.

A. Enable Unknown Sources: From the home screen on your Bionic, tap Menu, Settings, Applications, then enable the checkbox for "Unknown Sources" then tap "OK" to confirm.
B
. Enable USB Debugging: From that same screen, tap "Development", then enable the checkbox for "USB debugging", then tap "OK" to confirm.
C. You should already have the Motorola Drivers installed from STEP 4 above, so plug your phone into your computer and let Windows install any necessary device drivers needed.
D. Download Motofail-GB to your PC and select "Run as administrator" (or just double-click on XP/2003). Press enter when prompted, to begin the rooting process. This may take about 2 to 3 minutes, and may reboot your phone multiple times.

You are now rooted! Enjoy.
 
Last edited:

WickedTruth

New member
Feb 13, 2012
4
0
Thanks!

that was my very first rooting experience :good: and it kicked ass!

im off to find out how to remove bloatware and figure out what ROM will work for me as a daily driver and any recommendations you have would be very well received.
 

s.wyckoff1

New member
May 12, 2012
4
0
I'm currently on eclipse 2 w/ 902. Should I revert back to stock to get the 905 update and then reroot and put another rom on using safestrap?

Thanks.
 
Sep 6, 2012
6
0
I recommend ICS in which case you can just follow the ICS guide I posted just before yours. It contains ALL the steps you'll need to do - from stock FXZ (.905) to custom ROM install.

Quick question: is this OTA? So if ICS is ever released for the Bionic, one can just upgrade to it? Or do you have to first go to .902 and upgrade to .905?

edit: also, I'm interpreting as OTA as "on the air" please correct me if it is actually "off the air".
 
Last edited:

crobs808

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2007
1,238
240
United States
Quick question: is this OTA? So if ICS is ever released for the Bionic, one can just upgrade to it? Or do you have to first go to .902 and upgrade to .905?

edit: also, I'm interpreting as OTA as "on the air" please correct me if it is actually "off the air".

OTA stands for "Over the air". No, this is not the OTA, this is a "leak" from Motorola.
To get the official OTA, you would have to FXZ to .905. Forget about .902 - you do not need that anymore since the full .905 file is available to directly flash.
 
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Sep 6, 2012
6
0
OTA stands for "Over the air". No, this is not the OTA, this is a "leak" from Motorola.
To get the official OTA, you would have to FXZ to .905. Forget about .902 - you do not need that anymore since the full .905 file is available to directly flash.

Oh, really? Where would I find this official .905 file? I had thought the download you provided was the official 5.9.905 file. I followed the first 10 steps of your guide to flashing to ICS thinking I was getting back OTA (I believe those steps are the same as this post). Could you point me in the right direction of getting back OTA?

edit: Just to claify, so this is "stock .905" but still is not OTA? It's a leaked .905?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:

crobs808

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2007
1,238
240
United States
Oh, really? Where would I find this official .905 file? I had thought the download you provided was the official 5.9.905 file. I followed the first 10 steps of your guide to flashing to ICS thinking I was getting back OTA (I believe those steps are the same as this post). Could you point me in the right direction of getting back OTA?

edit: Just to claify, so this is "stock .905" but still is not OTA? It's a leaked .905?

Thanks!

Huh? I think you misread my post. .905 is just the latest public stock ROM from Motorola/VZW. It is Gingerbread (the one in this thread). To get the ICS OTA (whenever it comes out) you'll need to FXZ to .905 first (then you can get the OTA when it is available). Make sense?
 
Sep 6, 2012
6
0
Huh? I think you misread my post. .905 is just the latest public stock ROM from Motorola/VZW. It is Gingerbread (the one in this thread). To get the ICS OTA (whenever it comes out) you'll need to FXZ to .905 first (then you can get the OTA when it is available). Make sense?

Hmm. I think you might have misread my post actually. I followed these instructions and FXZ'd back to. 905 using the files in the thread. I then asked if this is OTA, as I'm about to send my phone in and don't want anything but the official ROM on my phone when I do, but you said it's not and that it's a leak and that I'd need to FXZ back to.905 for OTA. I thought I just did that! Did you think I was posting in the ICS guide thread? My question was (is), if following these instructions will put you back OTA on the most recent official release. Thanks again, sorry for the confusion.
 
Last edited:

crobs808

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2007
1,238
240
United States
Hmm. I think you might have misread my post actually. I followed these instructions and FXZ'd back to. 905 using the files in the thread. I then asked if this is OTA, as I'm about to send my phone in and don't want anything but the official ROM on my phone when I do, but you said it's not and that it's a leak. Did you think iI was posting in the ICS guide thread? My question was (is), if following these instructions will put you back OTA on the most recent official release. Thanks again, sorry for the confusion.

Oops, you're right, I misread and thought you were asking about ICS. Disregard my previous post. Yes, this is the latest official stock ROM. If you do this process you can take your phone back for service/warranty replacement. (Just be sure to remove your SD card before giving it to them.)
 

matthelm

Senior Member
Jan 29, 2012
108
13
OK, before I do this, I should back everything up with Titanium, the when I get to ICS, I'd root again, install Titanium, restore (most) settings, correct?

And as far as we know, we can re-root under ICS, correct?
 

crobs808

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2007
1,238
240
United States
NEVER use backup apps like Titanium. Just backup user files (like photos, music, etc.), then go through this process, then manually download/reset up all your apps.
 

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    [GUIDE] Easiest Step-By-Step Tutorial To Upgrade/Reset Your Bionic to Stock 5.9.905 + Root
    << This is for people who need to upgrade or get back to the latest Gingerbread Stock ROM release. >>

    OVERVIEW: This guide will get your Bionic on the Stock 5.9.905 release (Gingerbread). These steps are universal for all Bionics, and work as long as you have not upgraded your phone past the .232 ICS leak. This process is called 'performing an FXZ' (in other words, 'resetting your phone to the latest factory default state').

    CAUTION: Before beginning these steps, make sure you have backed up all personal data that you do not want to lose. This process WILL wipe all internal user data, apps and settings! You can put your backup on your external SD card if you like since this process will NOT modify any files on your SD card. As with any user guide, do this is at your own risk.

    DEPENDENCIES:
    This guide assumes you have a Verizon Droid Bionic phone and are running as an administrator user on Windows XP or later.

    1. Be sure that your battery has at least 75% charge and make sure your phone is NOT plugged into your computer. Do NOT attempt this process with a battery level lower than 75%.
    2. Power off your Bionic and make sure it is not plugged into anything
    3. In Windows, go into Control Panel, "Programs and Features" (or "Add/Remove Programs" in XP) and uninstall any existing Motorola phone or USB drivers.
    4. Download and install the latest Motorola USB drivers [mirror] and RSD Lite v5.7 [mirror].
    5. On your Bionic, while holding down both volume keys, press and hold the power button until you see a black and white menu selection screen. Press Volume Down twice, to select "AP FastBoot" then press Volume Up just once to activate that mode.
    6. Plug your phone into your PC (If you are using a Desktop, then be sure to use one of the USB ports on the BACK of your computer). Let Windows complete installing the multiple device drivers necessary for the Bionic (do NOT unplug it during this time). You may be prompted to reboot; if so go ahead and do it.
    7. Right click on RSD Lite, and select "Run as administrator" (or just double-click on XP/2003)
    8. Your device should be showing in line 1. Click on it to select it, then click the browse button to the right of the "Filename" box - it looks like three dots, [...]
    9. Download this 5.9.905 FZX zip file and place it in the root of your hard drive (e.g. C:\). Select this file then click the "Decompress And Start Flashing" button.
    10. Your phone will now go through a 15-20 minute flashing process. Be patient! Once finished you should see it load the "Welcome" screen with the picture of the large green android. You are finished! You may now setup and use your phone.
    NOTE REGARDING STEP 10: It is VERY important that you be patient. Even if you think the process is frozen, it probably is not. Some of the parts that get updated take a very long time (especially the 'Webtop' segment) so just wait it out. If you see "Failed" or "Error" text at any point, then you should unplug your phone and start this process over again from the beginning. If you continue to see these errors then try a different USB port on your computer, or a different computer altogether.

    ===

    OPTIONAL: How To Root 5.9.905 (or any Gingerbread ROM)

    OVERVIEW: Once you have completed the above steps to get your phone into a stock 5.9.905 state (or any Gingerbread ROM for that matter), then these steps will help you root your phone. Rooting your phone allows you deeper access to your phone's file system and gives your phone other more advanced functionality.

    A. Enable Unknown Sources: From the home screen on your Bionic, tap Menu, Settings, Applications, then enable the checkbox for "Unknown Sources" then tap "OK" to confirm.
    B
    . Enable USB Debugging: From that same screen, tap "Development", then enable the checkbox for "USB debugging", then tap "OK" to confirm.
    C. You should already have the Motorola Drivers installed from STEP 4 above, so plug your phone into your computer and let Windows install any necessary device drivers needed.
    D. Download Motofail-GB to your PC and select "Run as administrator" (or just double-click on XP/2003). Press enter when prompted, to begin the rooting process. This may take about 2 to 3 minutes, and may reboot your phone multiple times.

    You are now rooted! Enjoy.
    1
    I'd recommend the 'Liquid' ICS ROMs. Follow all the steps (including the optional ones) in this guide here: [GUIDE] Easiest Step-By-Step Tutorial For Upgrading Your Bionic To ICS
    1
    I'm currently on eclipse 2 w/ 902. Should I revert back to stock to get the 905 update and then reroot and put another rom on using safestrap?

    Thanks.

    I recommend ICS in which case you can just follow the ICS guide I posted just before yours. It contains ALL the steps you'll need to do - from stock FXZ (.905) to custom ROM install.
    1
    Quick question: is this OTA? So if ICS is ever released for the Bionic, one can just upgrade to it? Or do you have to first go to .902 and upgrade to .905?

    edit: also, I'm interpreting as OTA as "on the air" please correct me if it is actually "off the air".

    OTA stands for "Over the air". No, this is not the OTA, this is a "leak" from Motorola.
    To get the official OTA, you would have to FXZ to .905. Forget about .902 - you do not need that anymore since the full .905 file is available to directly flash.