[Q] Which bootloader do I have?

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Apr 8, 2012
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Is there any easy way to tell without being able to boot fully? There isn't anything immediately obvious on google. I'm trying to help out a friend, his phone doesn't get past the boot animation anymore and he doesn't know which version he has. I can boot into download/recovery modes but don't see anything that screams MF3, MK2 or any of the others.

Updates: I can get to sideload but don't know if I can install any Roms through sideload without a custom recovery. The recovery right now is stock 3e I think.
 
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DeadlySin9

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Sep 2, 2012
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Google Pixel 8 Pro
Is there any easy way to tell without being able to boot fully? There isn't anything immediately obvious on google. I'm trying to help out a friend, his phone doesn't get past the boot animation anymore and he doesn't know which version he has. I can boot into download/recovery modes but don't see anything that screams MF3, MK2 or any of the others.

Updates: I can get to sideload but don't know if I can install any Roms through sideload without a custom recovery. The recovery right now is stock 3e I think.

Can't do anything from there. If recovery doesn't say NB1 in the corner then it's something before that. Only other way is to just try and flash only part of each one through Odin.

Sent from my SGH-I337 running GPE
 
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Apr 8, 2012
33
2
Can't do anything from there. If recovery doesn't say NB1 in the corner then it's something before that. Only other way is to just try and flash only part of each one through Odin.

Sent from my SGH-I337 running GPE

OK well it isn't nb1 so that's good I guess. Which part should I be flashing in odin? I can brick it by flashing an older version through Odin than is currently on there, can't I?
 
Apr 8, 2012
33
2
Has your friend ever had a custom recovery on, twrp or cwm? Or flashed any custom roms?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

He was rooted at one point and then unrooted. Never any custom roms/recoveries. The phone was working after he unrooted it but for some reason will no longer pass the boot animation.

He was on android 4.3 so does that only correspond to MK2? As far as I can tell it does.
 
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jd1639

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Sep 21, 2012
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Minnesota
He was rooted at one point and then unrooted. Never any custom roms. The phone was working after he unrooted it but for some reason will no longer pass the boot animation.

Do you know if he took any ota updates? My opinion is you should just flash the nb1 tar file in Odin. It's doesn't sound like he is still on mdl firmware.Which would be the only reason he'd not want to go to nb1

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
 
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Apr 8, 2012
33
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Do you know if he took any ota updates? My opinion is you should just flash the nb1 tar file in Odin. It's doesn't sound like he is still on mdl firmware.Which would be the only reason he'd not want to go to nb1

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

If my goal is to get CM or any other aosp based rom on the phone will nb1 be any more restrictive than MK2? I haven't found anything breaking the differences between MKx/Nxx down yet.
 

jd1639

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
16,833
5,404
Minnesota
If my goal is to get CM or any other aosp based rom on the phone will nb1 be any more restrictive than MK2? I haven't found anything breaking the differences between MKx/Nxx down yet.

If he's not on mdl you're not going to get cm or any aosp rom. Nb1 is no more restrictive than mf3, or mk2. In any case you'll have to use safestrap and only touch wiz based roms.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
 
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Apr 8, 2012
33
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If he's not on mdl you're not going to get cm or any aosp rom. Nb1 is no more restrictive than mf3, or mk2. In any case you'll have to use safestrap and only touch wiz based roms.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

Is there no odin flashable mdl file? I found a link to a tmobile one but since it's not the same phone I'm not about to try and flash that without checking. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2258628 <- TMobile, not ATT but linked from ATT faq thread.
 

jd1639

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Sep 21, 2012
16,833
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Minnesota
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    Is there any easy way to tell without being able to boot fully? There isn't anything immediately obvious on google. I'm trying to help out a friend, his phone doesn't get past the boot animation anymore and he doesn't know which version he has. I can boot into download/recovery modes but don't see anything that screams MF3, MK2 or any of the others.

    Updates: I can get to sideload but don't know if I can install any Roms through sideload without a custom recovery. The recovery right now is stock 3e I think.

    Can't do anything from there. If recovery doesn't say NB1 in the corner then it's something before that. Only other way is to just try and flash only part of each one through Odin.

    Sent from my SGH-I337 running GPE
    1
    OK well it isn't nb1 so that's good I guess. Which part should I be flashing in odin? I can brick it by flashing an older version through Odin than is currently on there, can't I?

    no, you can't brick. Odin will just fail

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
    1
    Excellent to hear. Guess I'll just start with the oldest I can get and work my way newer.

    Has your friend ever had a custom recovery on, twrp or cwm? Or flashed any custom roms?

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
    1
    He was rooted at one point and then unrooted. Never any custom roms. The phone was working after he unrooted it but for some reason will no longer pass the boot animation.

    Do you know if he took any ota updates? My opinion is you should just flash the nb1 tar file in Odin. It's doesn't sound like he is still on mdl firmware.Which would be the only reason he'd not want to go to nb1

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
    1
    If my goal is to get CM or any other aosp based rom on the phone will nb1 be any more restrictive than MK2? I haven't found anything breaking the differences between MKx/Nxx down yet.

    If he's not on mdl you're not going to get cm or any aosp rom. Nb1 is no more restrictive than mf3, or mk2. In any case you'll have to use safestrap and only touch wiz based roms.

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app