[RESOLVED] Bricked after flashing firmware for Pie, stuck in md5 checksum bootloop

[swumo]

Hello,
I post here after 12 hours of continuous search and attempts at fixing things on my own, which may have dug me deeper into trouble than if I've asked for a tailored solution to this issue. Apologies for repetitiveness if I've failed to find answers elsewhere.
I was running LOS 15.1 with custom kernel and maybe the 5.0.8 firmware or lower. I don't recall the version.
In an attempt to flash LOS 16.0, I performed a nandroid backup, but didn't back up my internal storage. That was stupid of me
I grabbed all the files needed, and started by flashing the firmware version stated in the flashing guide for LOS 16., which was 9 point something.
Phone bricked, blank screen.
Got hold of a factory reset tool from an unbrick guide here, followed their steps to completion despite repeated failures in the MSMDownloader.
Now my phone boots in fastboot mode only, adb on PC neither can detect nor interact with the phone, and it is stuck in a md5 checksum bootloop with "modem" and "dsp" in the red, and all attempts to boot into recovery lead back to the md5 checksum screen.
On fastboot mode, "Bootloader version" and "baseband version" are both blank.
This is all I know to provide at the moment. If there is any way to salvage the phone with the internal storage intact, I would prefer that please. But I won't look a gift horse in the mouth at this point if I ultimately have to wipe everything clean to fix the phone.

 

[swumo]

bump pls
even bad news is appreciated

 

[Javellinh]

Even fastboot cant saw your device thru "fastboot devices"? Do your ADB drivers up-to-date?

 

[swumo]

Even fastboot cant saw your device thru "fastboot devices"? Do your ADB drivers up-to-date?

Thank you for answering.
Fastboot can see and use the device. Flashing is possible through it.
ADB cannot. I'm not sure if it's the latest version on my PC, but I recently had the phone connected to a different PC with a recent ADB installation and the results were the same. ADB doesn't see the phone.

 

[Javellinh]

Hmm.. does phone in TWRP works like USB storage?

 

[swumo]

Phone fails to boot into recovery.
I flashed TWRP but it always boots into the failed md5 checksum anyway.
Recovery doesn't work.

 

[swumo]

Phone fails to boot into recovery.
I flashed TWRP but it always boots into the failed md5 checksum anyway.
Recovery doesn't work.

Worth noting is that TWRP flashing causes the recovery: ok message to also read as recovery:failed.
Flashing the stock recovery that came with the unbrick tool using fastboot makes it recovery: ok

 

[vinoxflame]

Worth noting is that TWRP flashing causes the recovery: ok message to also read as recovery:failed.
Flashing the stock recovery that came with the unbrick tool using fastboot makes it recovery: ok

you can boot to stock recovery?

 

[swumo]

you can boot to stock recovery?

It won't boot into any recovery, stock or otherwise. Only brings up the screen pictured above.

EDIT: By "stock recovery" I mean whatever the unbrick tool had flashed into the phone using the MSMDownloader utility.
The version of OOS included in the tool is mentioned as 3.2 or some dated system. Maybe a more recent recovery might work?
I can't find a standalone, recent stock recovery image. I'd flash one if I found it.

 

[vinoxflame]

It won't boot into any recovery, stock or otherwise. Only brings up the screen pictured above.

EDIT: By "stock recovery" I mean whatever the unbrick tool had flashed into the phone using the MSMDownloader utility.
The version of OOS included in the tool is mentioned as 3.2 or some dated system. Maybe a more recent recovery might work?
I can't find a standalone, recent stock recovery image. I'd flash one if I found it.

are you using op3 or 3t?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/unbrick-unbrick-tutorial-oneplus-3t-t3515306

 

[swumo]

are you using op3 or 3t?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/unbrick-unbrick-tutorial-oneplus-3t-t3515306

I'm using a OP3T.
The link you provided points to a similar guide to the one I used. https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/unbrick-tool-3t-unbrick-data-babloo-t3737791
I've already performed these steps, and the md5 problem happened after the process mentioned was completed.

 

[redpoint73]

Fastboot can see and use the device. Flashing is possible through it.
ADB cannot. I'm not sure if it's the latest version on my PC, but I recently had the phone connected to a different PC with a recent ADB installation and the results were the same. ADB doesn't see the phone.

Fastboot and adb will never work at the same time, by definition. If Fastboot works, you are in fastboot mode. adb only works in OS or alternately in TWRP, and will never work in fastboot mode.

 

[swumo]

Fastboot and adb will never work at the same time, by definition. If Fastboot works, you are in fastboot mode. adb only works in OS or alternately in TWRP, and will never work in fastboot mode.

In this case, how would I get into ADB if neither the OS nor TWRP want to boot past the the error?
Are there steps in fastboot that I can take to fix this phone?

 

[redpoint73]

In this case, how would I get into ADB if neither the OS nor TWRP want to boot past the the error?

You simply can't. adb will only work in OS or TWRP, period. Nothing you can do can change that fact. You're stuck with fastboot.

Are there steps in fastboot that I can take to fix this phone?

I can't personally think of anything. I just wanted to point out the fruitlessness of trying to use adb, so you don't waste time trying to get it to work (since it never will).

 

[swumo]

Hello,
I post here after 12 hours of continuous search and attempts at fixing things on my own, which may have dug me deeper into trouble than if I've asked for a tailored solution to this issue. Apologies for repetitiveness if I've failed to find answers elsewhere.
I was running LOS 15.1 with custom kernel and maybe the 5.0.8 firmware or lower. I don't recall the version.
In an attempt to flash LOS 16.0, I performed a nandroid backup, but didn't back up my internal storage. That was stupid of me
I grabbed all the files needed, and started by flashing the firmware version stated in the flashing guide for LOS 16., which was 9 point something.
Phone bricked, blank screen.
Got hold of a factory reset tool from an unbrick guide here, followed their steps to completion despite repeated failures in the MSMDownloader.
Now my phone boots in fastboot mode only, adb on PC neither can detect nor interact with the phone, and it is stuck in a md5 checksum bootloop with "modem" and "dsp" in the red, and all attempts to boot into recovery lead back to the md5 checksum screen.
On fastboot mode, "Bootloader version" and "baseband version" are both blank.
This is all I know to provide at the moment. If there is any way to salvage the phone with the internal storage intact, I would prefer that please. But I won't look a gift horse in the mouth at this point if I ultimately have to wipe everything clean to fix the phone.

I forgot a detail in the middle of the story.
Right after I flashed the pie firmware, it restarted and I was given a prompt that said something along the lines of "Flash successful and everything, but decryption failed. You will lose all data if you boot, are you sure?"
I turned off the phone, from there it bricked with a blank screen. It was then that I got the unbrick tool and went through the rest of the earlier story.

 

[swumo]

You simply can't. adb will only work in OS or TWRP, period. Nothing you can do can change that fact. You're stuck with fastboot.



I can't personally think of anything. I just wanted to point out the fruitlessness of trying to use adb, so you don't waste time trying to get it to work (since it never will).

I appreciate you reaching out and offering closure. It seems this phone is fried.
Thank you.

 

[swumo]

I got past the MD5 checksum hurdle, and I flashed TWRP. It works.
I can't access internal storage to flash anything from the phone, not even the TWRP nandroid backup, but ADB is an option again.
Decryption refuses to take my password even though it's correct.
I do have a backup of the nandroid on my PC. Could I flash that via ADB?

 

[BillGoss]

I got past the MD5 checksum hurdle, and I flashed TWRP. It works.
I can't access internal storage to flash anything from the phone, not even the TWRP nandroid backup, but ADB is an option again.
Decryption refuses to take my password even though it's correct.
I do have a backup of the nandroid on my PC. Could I flash that via ADB?

It would help others who get into the same situation if you post how you got passed the MD5 checksum hurdle.

If you can get into TWRP I would suggest you use the latest version 3.3.1-0 and use wipe>format data (not wipe>advanced wipe) which will clear the encryption. It will give you an ext4 data partition, which is fine. If you want to change it back to f2fs use wipe>advanced wipe to reformat it to f2fs.

I don't recommend using an unencrypted phone so my next step is to copy from your PC to the phone the ROM zip file and anything else you need to flash. I would flash the full OOS zip and let it boot up as this will automatically encrypt your data. It will also replace TWRP with the stock recovery but you can flash TWRP again using fastboot. You can then go back to TWRP and set things up the way you want, including restoring the backup you have.


Sent from my OnePlus 3T using XDA Labs

 

[swumo]

It would help others who get into the same situation if you post how you got passed the MD5 checksum hurdle.

If you can get into TWRP I would suggest you use the latest version 3.3.1-0 and use wipe>format data (not wipe>advanced wipe) which will clear the encryption. It will give you an ext4 data partition, which is fine. If you want to change it back to f2fs use wipe>advanced wipe to reformat it to f2fs.

I don't recommend using an unencrypted phone so my next step is to copy from your PC to the phone the ROM zip file and anything else you need to flash. I would flash the full OOS zip and let it boot up as this will automatically encrypt your data. It will also replace TWRP with the stock recovery but you can flash TWRP again using fastboot. You can then go back to TWRP and set things up the way you want, including restoring the backup you have.


Sent from my OnePlus 3T using XDA Labs

Thank you for dropping by.
Regarding the couple of errors in the MD5 checksum, "modem" and "dsp", the problem lied in that I didn't know which files I'm supposed to flash using fastboot to fill their spots.
By referring to the forum post of the firmware here, I found one workaround was to "consult META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script in the flashable zip of the firmware ... to check which file from the firmware-update directory goes to which partition."
From there, I inferred that "modem" takes the file named NON-HLOS.bin, and that "dsp" takes adspso.bin
Flashed them via fastboot, and I was greeted by a successful boot to stock OOS 3.1.2, the version provided by the unbrick tool I used.

However, it seems that the damage done to the phone (either by the failed firmware flash or the unbrick tool) has led to the internal storage being corrupted, or perhaps the damage was done to how the system decrypts internal storage. I am a medical student, so most of these intricacies are way out of my league.
I was hoping to recover the internal storage, but would gladly part with the data if it means I can use the phone again. There was nothing particularly important on the phone that the TWRP backup didn't have.

 

[swumo]

Pardon me, but which file system would be most suitable for each partition?
The Wipe>Advanced Wipe menu offers several file systems for several partitions. I'm inclined to leave everything as it is, but should I perhaps format the /system partition as f2fs for instance?