[Guide] How to recover your semi-brick

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YES YOU NEED TO READ THIS WHOLE POST, PROB MORE THEN ONCE TO MAKE SURE YOU GOT IT. YES I KNOW HOW LONG IT IS, I TYPED IT!

*Also note that not all sections will apply to you. I have tried to seperate different senerios using * at each one. Also more then one section here may be needed by you.


the reason i call it a semi-brick is because a true brick can bot be recovered with out opening the case.

first go here and read this for info: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=838484

now since your here im going to assume that its too late.

*things you will need.

copy of cwm recovery. get it here (the manual install link): http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...4&postcount=28

adb installed and working.

a known good rom, or nandroid backup. here is one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=836042 (use odex one)

a wpthis.ko for YOUR specfic kernel (run (adb shell cat /proc/version) that will tell you what kernel you have)

*first thing we need to know is, are you s-off or s-on now?

if your s-off just boot into clockwork mod recovery, wipe the phone and flash a known good rom and be done with it. if you dont have cwm recovery installed. boot into fastboot (vol down+power) you must have the sdk/adb installed and working, and type fastboot flash recovery LocationOfRecovery.img (where LocationOfRecovery.img= where you have the recovery, ie c:\android\recovery.img). once thats installed follow instructions above.

*if you are s-on:

will the phone boot into android? if so your not bad off.

if you want to unroot to return the phone, follow the unroot thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=835971

if you dont want to unroot then you have a couple of different options. if you have cwm recovery still installed, just follow instructions above and flash a known good rom. ive been told that boot.img (kernel) wont flash if you are s-on. the way to fix this (temporarily) is boot into recovery, but before you flash run these commands:
(put wpthis.ko in sdk folder)

adb remount
adb push wpthis.ko /data/local/wpthis.ko (specific for your kernel)
adb shell
# insmod /data/local/wpthis.ko (should get same function not implemented error as when u rooted first time)

then proceed to flash the rom. once booted into android skip down to, "now to get back to s-off"

*if you have stock or eng-recovery installed.

will the phone attempt to boot android at all? where is it stuck at?

a good min after it starts to try to boot, type these commands:

adb remount
adb shell

if you can get in shell then theres still hope. back out shell for a second and start here:
put the cwm recovery.img and wpthis.ko in your sdk folder
adb remount
adb push wpthis.ko /data/local/wpthis.ko (specific for your kernel)
adb push recovery.img /data/local/recovery.img
adb shell
# insmod /data/local/wpthis.ko (should get same function not implemented error as when u rooted first time)
# dd if=/data/local/recovery.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21 (now wait a min or 2 to give it time to finish)
#sync (give it another min or to just to be safe)
#reboot recovery

at this point you should be in cwm recovery. follow instructions above for flashing with s-on.

*if you cannot get into shell while booting, but have eng-recovery installed, there might be some options.(however this is all theory)

boot into recovery-
if you are on linux using adb, you can try taking sh from /system/bin folder of any custom rom, chmod 0755 it, then push it to /system/bin and adb shell might work.

windows-
boot into recovery.
a system.img compatible with your installed kernel pushed may work. put the system.img into the sdk folder.

adb push system.img /data/block/mmcblk0p25

then reboot and see where you are. if that dont work, grab the modified miscnew.img here: http://www.4shared.com/file/pUPfrGi-/mmcblk0p17.html

rename it misc.img put it in sdk folder and

adb push misc.img /dev/block/mmcblk0p17

then reboot into bootloader with PC10IMG.zip on root of sdcard and it should run though. if it does your fully stock and get to start all over again.

*if you cannot get into shell, and you have stock recovery, s-on, and post OTA, im sorry your pretty screwed. as of right now the only thing thats gonna bring it back is a full img/update signed from htc thats equal to or higher then the version currently on the phone. (well and jtag of course)


*well now you've done one of the steps above. your booted into android, you have perm root, and cwm recovery installed, just still s-on. dont worry your almost there!

first take that wpthis.ko for you kernel and push it, and the eng hboot.

adb push wpthis.ko /data/local/
adb push hboot-eng.img /data/local

then from adb shell, or terminal root prompt:

# insmod /data/local/wpthis.ko (again you should get the function not implemented error)

NOW REMEMBER THIS NEXT STEP COULD MEAN DEATH FOR YOU G2 IF TYPED WRONG, AND AFTER ALL THIS HARD WORK!

# dd if=/data/local/hboot-eng.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18

wait a few mins to be sure its done.

# sync

wait a few more just cause.
reboot, you should now be s-off, cwm recovery installed, and free to do whatever you want. just dont go screwing it up again


* as new methods are discovered, or ones here are proven wrong, i will update as necessary. as of the writing post, 2 devices that i know of have been saved!

good luck!

wpthis.ko for bacon bits.03 kernel: http://www.4shared.com/file/OAcd1bix...anogenmod.html

before you post with problems make sure you have read this at least 2 times. have this info in you post:

what was the last running rom/kernel combo you had?

list EVERYTHING you have done since that point

which recovery is installed?

what happens in recovery when you type

adb devices?
adb remount?
adb shell?

does it try to boot? is it stuck on splash screen, or does it make it to boot animation? 1 min after you turn it on, what happens when you type:

adb devices?
adb remount?
adb shell?

Thank you, really, for taking the time to write this guide. I shared that dreadful feeling of a brick a little while ago, but made it out alive. I know this will help a lot of people.

I'm not bricked, semi bricked or none of that. Rootrd and running BB 0.3
This is the best guide to everything you would need. Too bad you can't post this at the beginning of every thread or some kind of link on every page. This would answer a lot of question if some people would look hard enough. I'm not some smart phone guy by no means. I just read a lot before I ask. In my further reading I can direct people.with further problems here.
Thanks for all your work and giving me another fun hobby
Peace

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Question why is it that you have "dd if....../mmcblk0p21" in one area and towards the bottom you have "May brick phone ...dd if...../mmcblk0p18." Thought it should always be .../mmcblk0p18?

Phone: T-Mobile G2/Vision Rooted
Rom: Latest Cyanogen
Recovery: CWM waiting for Amon_RA

Good point . Not sure on that one

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Originally Posted by renn9420

Question why is it that you have "dd if....../mmcblk0p21" in one area and towards the bottom you have "May brick phone ...dd if...../mmcblk0p18." Thought it should always be .../mmcblk0p18?

Phone: T-Mobile G2/Vision Rooted
Rom: Latest Cyanogen
Recovery: CWM waiting for Amon_RA

if you look where im saying /mmcblk0p21 we are replacing RECOVERY with CWM. i do that because i just dont like the idea of trying to replace hboot from a looping system. worst case something goes wrong, you still have hboot and you can try again. screw up hboot, game over! then once android is back up and running we worry about hboot on mmcblk0p18.

you should not state that steps can be changed if people are brave, someone is going to sip parts and cry that their hboot is boned and now they have a BRICK, this is the best post i have seen in the G2 section thus far and i have been through almost every thread(with any kind of importance) in the dev section and 90% of them in general and Q&A. thank you for this post and let's hope people READ at least 5 times before even starting on this.

Gotcha

Phone: T-Mobile G2/Vision Rooted
Rom: Latest Cyanogen
Recovery: CWM waiting for Amon_RA

Amazing guide, thanks a lot.

Originally Posted by fastludeh22

the reason i call it a semi-brick is because a true brick can bot be recovered with out opening the case.

I have a full, honest-to-god brick in my drawer (executed dd if=/sdcard/hbooteng.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 with a wrong "hbooteng.img file).

I'm really, really interested in some guide or info about how to try and recover the brick. I don't mind if I have to open the case, there's not going down from where I am right now.

By the way, my second DZ just arrived, tomorrow I'll try to S-OFF it again... I will have nightmares tonight.