[UNBRICK] HTC Unbricking Project

• the appropriate package for the device
• the latest RUU for your device
• a device bricked by writing security flag 3 with an unsigned hboot, or caused by a damaged hboot via interrupted OTA update/RUU flash on a S-ON device
• a usb cable
• some basic linux experience
• patience

1. Boot the linux box and download the appropriate package for the device.
2. Extract the package in the home directory
3. Open up a terminal
4. Remove microSD card and connect the device using the USB cable.
5. Detect the device using the script provided. Type this in the terminal
   
   Code:

   sudo ./brickdetect.sh

   You should get something like sdX. We are interested on that "X"
6. Hexdump the hboot to check the version
   
   Code:

   sudo ./emmc_recover --device /dev/sdX12 --hexdump 00000000:00000060

7. Replace the "X" with the letter the script gave you
8. Follow the on-screen instructions from emmc_recover
   The output should be like this:
   
   Code:

   00000000  05 00 00 00 03 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 20 80  |.............. .|
   00000010  d8 fc 0f 00 d8 fb 0f 00  d8 fb 2f 80 00 01 00 00  |........../.....|
   00000020  d8 fc 2f 80 00 00 00 00  12 00 00 ea 31 2e 31 35  |../.........[B]1.15[/B]|
   00000030  2e 32 32 32 32 00 00 00  38 39 36 30 20 53 50 4c  |.2222...8960 SPL|
   00000040  00 00 00 00 00 f0 20 e3  53 48 49 50 00 00 00 00  |...... .SHIP....|
   00000050  00 f0 20 e3 00 f0 20 e3  48 42 4f 4f 54 2d 38 39  |.. ... .HBOOT-89|
   00000060  36 30 00 00 00 f0 20 e3  64 69 72 74 79 2d 33 63  |60.... .dirty-3c|

   This is the typical hex of a hboot. We are interested to check if that is the hboot partition and if it is, to get to know the version. In this case it is 1.15
9. If in the above step you failed to identify the hboot, unplug all devices connected to that pc, reboot and try again
10. Unplug the device
11. Check again it is the right version, because if you do a mistake here, you won't be able to go back
    
12. Flash the hboot on the device. Replace "V.VV" with hboot version (eg. 1.12, 1.15, 1.19) and "X" with the one you got from the detect script. Plug the device in ONLY when asked to
    
    Code:

    sudo ./emmc_recover --flash jewelV.VV.nb0 --device /dev/sdX12 --chunksize 24576 --backupafter hboot_f.nb0

13. Follow the on-screen instructions from emmc_recover and wait until the process is finished
14. Unplug the device, put microSD card in and power on
15. Congratulations, the device is unbricked.
16. FLASH THE RUU IMMEDIATELY AFTER RECOVERING!! The device will be unstable after the recovery if you don't flash it.

• We recommend using a Ubuntu 12.04(or higher) liveCD
• USB3 ports do not work properly. Please plug the device in a USB2 port

mikeyxda said:

Thanks for trying. Maybe there's still hope for the future. I know if it was possible, it would have helped me the time I bricked mine by accidentally applying an old firmware file (the old downgrade brick). I learned my lesson on that one but I can confirm that a downgrade brick is, as above, not unbrickable. It only showed the Qualcomm QDL and no partitions. Oh well... I didn't feel bad at all getting a replacement under the insurance because there's no way that downgrading firmware should cause an irrecoverable brick! They should have at least made the bootloader smart enough to not load firmware lower than what you currently have if doing so is going to brick it.

Mike

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SouL Shadow said:

Actually, it was probably because of the rollback prevention that caused you to get stuck in QDL mode. If HTC allowed us, 99% of all these "bricks" could be fixed using the mprg8960.hex. Instead they lock down the phones and leave us with a BS 'htcdev unlock' mechanism which is barely a half step. They are actually increasing the possibility of a bricked device, which is costing them more money by constantly replacing customer phones.

-SLS-

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