[Q] Trying to downgrade

Firstly, thanks to SafinWasi and Red_81 who both helped me on other threads, this question follows on from those threads.

I'm trying to downgrade from 7.4.9 user 4952320. Eventually, I will probably install CM11 (I tried once and bricked my device), but for now I just want to downgrade the OS and be able to change the wallpaper, I'm sick of the black paper. (I've tried Stunts wallpaper fix and it didn't work)

When the device upgraded to 7.4.9 I made backups of the whole 12 img files (inc boot0block).

I've read that you need a 7.2.3 boot image to be able to install TWRP as part of the CM11. I obtained a rooted 7.2.3 boot image from Red_81s google drive. I then flashed that boot image and tried rebooting the device. No joy. I got the red triangle. I flashed my 7.4.9 boot image and rebooted. The device rebooted and worked as normal.

I then flashed the 7.2.3 rooted system image and rebooted. Again I got the red triangle. I then flashed the 7.2.3 boot image, (so the device had 7.2.3 system and boot images) but again I got the red triangle.

So, how do you downgrade? Should I have flashed all 3 of the 7.2.3 images? (I don't have the checksums of the images so I recognise if one of the images was corrupted the exercise was doomed to failure.)

By flashing my 7.4.9 system and boot images, my device was restored to functionality, and I learned a bit, but not enough to achieve the goal. I'm hoping someone can show me how to downgrade.

Thought I'd add that I did try Kindle Fire First Aide but got lots of errors about dropbox not being available.

Red_81 said:

Did you flash the system and recovery? Both are needed to successfully downgrade. I always wipe data too.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

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I didn't flash recovery, at my first attempt, just boot, then I tried boot & system. Both tries gave the red triangle.

I've tried again, with all 3 rooted images from your gdrive - recovery, boot & system, and again got the red triangle. I tried again with the 3 images from another source (my own unrooted 7.2.3 backup when I first got the HD7) and again, got the red triangle.

I haven't wiped the data because I would prefer to keep it so I can use the device (and think it should be possible to downgrade without wiping). I haven't been able to find a command to wipe just the cache...

So I'm more than a bit puzzled. The fastboot commands (eg fastboot -i 0x1949 flash boot boot.img) all return with "sending" then "OKAY", then "writing", then "OKAY" so I don't think there's any problem there.

I must be doing something wrong or missing something.

LinearEquation said:

You need to flash a custom recovery on a second bootloader as well. You can't just flash the system. You also need to flash the 7.2.3 boot.img and stack override. Any tutorial dealing with this mod will include all the steps. It important to pay attention to details and not skip any steps. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2128848

Sent from my Nexus 7 Flo running Paranoid Android 4.4.3 using XDA premium 4 mobile app

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Thanks for your response, but at this stage I don't want to flash a new custom ROM, that may (probably will) come later, but at this stage I want to just downgrade. I've been warned that installing TWRP etc may leave the stock system in a bootloop, so a working stock backup won't be possible.

As I have to downgrade the stock boot image anyway in order to install a custom ROM, I thought I'd downgrade the whole OS in order to have a functioning stock system, then I can make a backup of it in TWRP, then install a custom ROM.

If I'm having problems with a simple downgrade, I might have more severe problems flashing a new ROM and be left with a dead device like I was previously, hence my caution and not wanting to move on until I know I can recover to the previous step if things go wrong.

Red_81 said:

Did you try downloading the original 7.2.3 from the thread and try flashing them ?

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Yes, I did. Tried them twice, in a different order (didn't think it would make a difference but you never know....). Anyway, tried again, this time, wiped data and cache (took 45 mins) and it worked! I now have 7.2.3 and access to Gplay (was already there).

I haven't registered it to my Amazon account yet, so email and contacts don't work, and am wondering if I should go straight to installing a custom ROM. I'm thinking if it isn't registered to Amazon, then they can't update it via OTA...... or can they?

It's been a bit of a task getting this far, but at least I'm more confident about getting into ADB and Fastboot!

cecr said:

I'm thinking if it isn't registered to Amazon, then they can't update it via OTA...... or can they?

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well, I know the answer, yes, even though it hasn't logged into an Amazon account (I realise they pre-register them to your account before dispatch), it updated back to 7.4.9 just as I finished the above post and whilst I was thinking I should disable OTA updates using KFFA!

flip. This is turning into hard work. lol, still I know how to do it now.

greg2074 said:

I was having many issues after the last OTA and got mine to cm-11-20140609-SNAPSHOT-M7 last night. Mine was at 7.4.9 also. I followed rootjunky youtube videos to get mine re-rooted, flashed and working. After getting it rooted, he uses Fire Flash app to put twrp on the Kindle. I deviated a little and put the twrp 2.7.0.0 version other than that, I followed to a T. Once I got all that done, I went on the internet to Hashcode's repository and downloaded the newest cm-11 UNOFFICIAL he had listed directly to the device. I downloaded the latest Gapps from cyanogenmod and then booted into recovery(twrp) and installed. Everything is working beautifully now. Everything seems faster and smoother so far. I did go ahead and do an update from the about area in the settings to cm-11-20140609-SNAPSHOT-M7. I was also able to get all my books that I had purchased through kindle in the kindle reader.

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Nice to know. Think I'll be doing something very similar, now I've made backups of 7.4.9 "just in case". Just have to go through all the above again!