[Caution] Unlocking and Locking Bootloader

It's been coming up more often lately, and there's something that needs to be mentioned for people who don't understand what they are doing while messing with the bootloaders.

DO NOT LOCK THE BOOTLOADER ON A CUSTOM ROM!

The process of unlocking the bootloader replaces the A100 bootloader with an A200 bootloader which responds to fastboot oem unlock, running this is fine even fully stock.

If you unlock the bootloader to install and run custom recovery (CWM, TWRP) which is then used to install a custom ROM (CM9,CM10, Flex Reaper, anything NOT Acer official). If you go and lock the bootloader again by replacing the A100 bootloader you WILL BE LOCKED OUT OF BOTH. It will prevent the use of anything other then official Acer recovery or ROM.

There is no fix for this, it needs to be sent to Acer for repair.

It can happen in a couple ways.

1. Running the lock script included with the unlock script, he mentions it will lock it, but fails to mention what will happen if it's used on custom ROM and recovery device.

2. Running the official OTA from custom recovery, it will fail to install the system, but replaces the bootloader, which locks you out of both recovery and system.

If you happen to have done 2, and catch it BEFORE rebooting or leaving recovery, you can use the unlock script to unlock the bootloader again. Once you leave recovery, you're stuck and can't get back in.

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND LEARN WHAT THE TOOLS ARE DOING AND HOW TO USE THEM CORRECTLY!

Thanks for this Post. If I follow and use your A100 Flashing Toolkit v1.1 7-16-12 will this take a Stock A100 and Root it, Unlock the Boot Loader and Install ClockworkMod Recovery,and will the Boot Loader Remain being Unlocked ?

Yeah it stays unlocked, generally there is only the 2 ways I mentioned before, so unless you try to do it manually it shouldn't ever occur unless you try to revert to stock or flash a stock rom and having it fail.

Basically, once its unlocked don't mess with it until you need it back to stock.

Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.

Honestly, I'd bet 90%+ of all the bricks created are by people unlocking/locking the bootloader when they don't have any business doing anything. The A100 also seems to be VERY unforgiving in terms of doing ANYTHING in the wrong order when flashing.

I'd say 90% is due to emmc failure. I mean a100 wise, nit devices in general. There has been only a few reports of this scenerio happening, and its partly our fault as it is not documented anywhere in the instructions on using the unlocking script nor in my guide or anywhere else. Can't release a tool capable of bricking a device and not cover it in the instructions, however this is exactly what happened, and still hasn't been corrected, this is why I made this post.

Acer did make this very had to get back from making a mistake on, though, for sure. I really wish people would read and learn before doing this stuff, but for now all I can do is put it out there and hope its read before its to late.

Side note, not new to this stuff but flashing a boot loader still makes my brown eye pucker. Scares me beyond anything else lol.

Tapatalked from my Kindle Fire - Jellytime AOSP

lol you haven't owned an HTC device

Yeah it stays unlocked, generally there is only the 2 ways I mentioned before, so unless you try to do it manually it shouldn't ever occur unless you try to revert to stock or flash a stock rom and having it fail.

Basically, once its unlocked don't mess with it until you need it back to stock.

Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.

Thanks Again:

Ok Im rooted, Boot Loader is Unlocked, Installed TWRP with the Acer Recovery Installer, made a Back Up of the Stock ICS in TWRP. On now to the CM10 Preview which I think is Great. If I restore the Stock ICS Backup I made in TWRP will that in anyway Effect the Boot Loader and Lock It Up and Brick this ?