[Q]Can I unbrick or am I hard bricked? - Nexus 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Ok so I was running paranoid android 3.99 and I've been getting the OTA notices that I need to update. I did that just today, and it downloaded the update and apparently installed it. Then I was stuck in recovery (reboot just kept sending it back to recovery). So I did some googling, decided I should not have tried to OTA and decided I should try to go back to stock and properly flash the rom.
This was my first attempt going back to stock. I downloaded what I thought was the correct nakasi file for my 2012 Nexus 7 (Wifi only, grouper I believe). I got adb and fastboot installed and started sending the prompts. It appears 'fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-grouper-4.23.img" worked properly, but when I tried "fastboot -w update image-nakasi-jwr66v.zip" I got an error and the tablet just kept rebooting into recovery; it would not load past the "Google" screen.
So I put the tablet down (with 98% charge), took my kid to baseball practice and came back an hour later to work on it. The tablet had turned off. Now it appears dead. It does not show a charge symbol when plugged in, and will not power on with "power" or "power and down button." As a result, adb/fastboot does not recognize it.
I thought I had soft bricked it, but now I'm scared I might have hard bricked it. It looks like maybe I installed the wrong nakasi file (the one I installed ended in "v," but the one I just saw from Google ends in "y").
I will try letting it charge overnight and seeing if it will boot in the morning. In the meantime, any ideas, or should I just consider this brick a sign that I should upgrade to the new Nexus (and be more careful)?

Where did you get the stock image? All the official one can be downloaded from here: https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasi
If you can boot into bootloader, you can flash the proper image with fastboot, of not, then your device is hardbricked.

If you are worried about a flat battery then you can check it with a voltmeter the voltage should be between 3.6 and 3.7 if the tablet won't charge the battery you could manually charge it THIS IS DANGEROUS the n7 regulates the voltage and current to the battery but if you uses 500mA charger and tape the wires onto the battery and only give it about 30 mins you should be ok . Check the temp of the battery as you do this if it starts to get hot unplug wait for it to cool and go again.
Programming is a race between engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.

Thanks for responding. I charged it overnight, to no avail. I don't think it was hard-bricked, but probably is now that it shutdown and won't recharge or boot.
I unfortunately did not get the file from this site or google, as I should have. I got it from another site I have used before, which was linked to a youtube video on how to return to stock. I thought I followed it exactly, but maybe not.
there is one final thing I'm thinking. when I plug it in to my computer, I am getting the "ding-dong" sound like it's connected. Still, adb/fastboot don't appear to be picking it up. Anything i can do to get it recognized?

It doesn't sound good try plugging it in and holding in the power button for one minute use your watch it can take anything over 30 second's that works on a fully functioning n7 with a completely flat battery to get it to charge not sure if it will work on yours. A bricked device should have the same characteristics as a brick if your computer detects something well a brick can't do that otherwise back to my suggestion of manual charging
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app

You may be in what is called APX mode. Sounds like you might have overwritten the bootloader with the wrong image, which usually means bad news, especially if you can't get into fast-boot mode to write over the image.
Unless it's still under warranty, you can't do much. I had this same problem when I attempted to upgrade to Kit Kat. Not sure what happened, but my tablet was hosed and it only shows up as an APX device. Luckily, it was still under warranty and I was able to RMA it with Asus and they replaced the motherboard free of charge. My purchase date happened to be 11 months prior, so I had about a month left on my warranty. Got lucky.
Try what is suggested in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=30002160&postcount=10
It might help, it might not. Some have reported trying for a few hours eventually helped get it out of APX mode, but I tried it with mine for days, and nothing helped.

Related

Was the problem hardware or software?

Okay so here's the story.
I was running pacman 4.3 nightly roms on my tablet.
At some points id have this weird issue where out of nowhere I would start bootlooping (and bc of some weird issue i couldnt boot into recovery from the bootloader unless i was plugged in to a pc. idk it was weird. the bootloader was like 3.13 or whatever)
anyway, yesterday my battery drained completetly and I would do what I would normally do, plug in to my pc, boot into the bootloader, boot into recovery and let it charge a little bit, then i would reboot into the system. but this time it would die during the splashscreen, so that was weird. Anyway, I eventually got it past the splashcreen onto my homescreen and my battery was apparently at 0 percent and then it would just die even tho I was plugged in.
i could leave my tablet in recovery for a while without being plugged in which was weird.
Anyway I tried flashing a newbootloader. 4.23 or something and it successfully flashed, now it wont boot up. fancy paperweight in my hands lol
lsusb command on my linuxbox gives me nothing. RIP nexus7, its been real.
oh and i did everything through adb
and before it died, whenever i plugged it in to usb or my power adapter, some strange sounds came from inside the tablet, like static lol
update, i had it plugged in and not even the charging screen was coming up so i was just there holding the power and volume buttons then the charging screen came up and went away. hmmmmm
The usb cable works fine for file transfers/being detected on my linuxbox on my s3 and evo so its not the port or cable
another update.
charging screen now comes up and stays on for a while. guess its an issue with a port on the tablet, but whenever i power it on or try to get to the bootloader the screen goes black for a second then back to the charging screen. so Im guessing this tablet is done for and shouldnt bother trying to fix the port?
deleted.
Is it still under warranty (less than a year old from when you purchased it)? If so, RMA the sucker. That's what I did and they replaced the motherboard for me.

[Q] Anyway to salvage this Nexus 7?

N7 - 2012 - 32Gb 3G + WiFi
I am probally convinced that my nexus 7 is completely bricked, but i thought a post here would let me know of ANY possible ways out.
So, soon after 4.4 was officially announce for Nexus 7, and the files released by google, i couldn't wait to flash it on my N7, even though reports of OTA were already out.
I did the standard stuff, 80+ battery, Drivers loaded...backup created.
Unlock bootloader - And start the flashing process.
Flashed using the "flashall.bat" that google includes...always handy.
Now, the weirdness starts.
Finished flashing everything but the OS.
OS had been stuck for 30+ mins.
I loose patience...plug it out...re-enter fastboot(for the last time) and do it again.
Same thing..30mins...no progress.
Switch it off...and thats it.
my n7 dosn't want to boot up into any mode what-so-ever.
Tried to charge it(hoping that was the problem) The chargng screen dosnt come up
When i connect it to my laptop..the "connected" sound comes up...but no display on N7 and neither is any confirmation on the N7
So, anything that can be done?
P.S my n7 has been off for atleast 2 whole months now. Have no clue what to do!
If you have a mutimeter open the back and check the voltage from the battery 3.7 volts means it has charge anything below 3.5 and the battery is flat. If that's the case then you could try an external charger or plug in the charger and hold the power button in for about 1 min use your watch it can take anything over 30 secs for this to have an effect. What does the computer recognise when you plug it in ? Open the device manager and see if there is anything that resembles a nexus or adb device. Any info will help no matter how irrelevant it seems.
Sent from one of my 47 iPads running android C3P0
Captain Sweatpants said:
If you have a mutimeter open the back and check the voltage from the battery 3.7 volts means it has charge anything below 3.5 and the battery is flat. If that's the case then you could try an external charger or plug in the charger and hold the power button in for about 1 min use your watch it can take anything over 30 secs for this to have an effect. What does the computer recognise when you plug it in ? Open the device manager and see if there is anything that resembles a nexus or adb device. Any info will help no matter how irrelevant it seems.
Sent from one of my 47 iPads running android C3P0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I plug it in, it says APX Drivers installing!
The battery wasn't dead!
Try installing these drivers first then plug in the nexus. May make a difference.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2386956
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
dijamsdsh said:
When I plug it in, it says APX Drivers installing!
The battery wasn't dead!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means that the tablet is bricked and you need to use APX mode to resurrect it, you'll need to use NVFLASH but if you haven't backed up any blobs before the brick, you're pretty much toast.
The tablet's essentially hard bricked if you can't boot to recovery. If this is the case then you pretty much have no choice but to replace the mainboard with an unbricked mainboard so at least you can salvage the tablet that way.
Something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-Google...US_Motherboard_CPU_Combos&hash=item5d4765e1ba
EDIT: Just noticed that your model is the 3G model, there aren't many mainboards available for the 3G model, you might as well buy a new tablet at that point...
deltatux

[Q] Trying to restore Nexus 4, would shutdown when unplugged… seeking help

Hi folks,
Fortunately I've not had much necessity to post here for help. However, that's now change.
I am looking for suggestions on:
1) What might be the cause of an issue with my N4
2) What I might be able to do about it.
Here's the background:
My N4 was working fine. Stock device, 4.4.2, no rooting, etc.
The other day it spontaneously turned off. I was not able to turn it back on. "Google" would appear on the screen, but a few seconds later would vanish and device was off again.
I did figure out I could turn it on (most of the time) when it was plugged into a power source. But detaching from that power source (whilst it was running) would result in it turning off within a couple of seconds at most.
I managed to back up most of my data, whilst having it plugged in and turned on.
A few days later device tells me there's a 4.4.3 update. I update it.
Issue remains.
I then try to initiate a factory reset.
Device reboots during that process. But fails to restart.
I could no longer restart it whether plugged in or not.
It can sit in bootloader mode without being plugged in, for as long as it takes to run the battery down.
It can't be in recovery mode without ext power.
I load the TWRP recovery image. That is on and working fine.
I can access the device with fastboot command (via Windows 7)... which is how I got the TWRP image on there.
In recovery mode the device is not detected by windows, and adp command can't see the device.
This is about where I have come unstuck. I was attempting to install a clean Android 4.4.3 image onto the device. But I can't get ADB access to it. Tried on a Mac and a Windows 7 PC.
UPDATE: I did manage to complete instructions for installing new Android 4.4.3 image over fastboot mode. But even after completing the steps successfully, device won't start. Just "Google" flashes up, and devices stops after few seconds.
HARDWARE FAILURE?: It's possible this whole issue is hardware related and I'll have to ditch the device. If that likely? I've seen some people mentioning similar issues, which they resolved by replacing the USB port board. Is that likely to cause this kind of issue?
Does some kind person have any suggestions on steps I can from here?
I'd really like to recover this beast... it's my first and only smart phone, and would hate to drop to a cheap replacement cell phone for the foreseeable future.
Thank you...
Somehow my title was blank (just a [Q]). Might explain why I got no replies so far :silly:
Updated.
If its happening even after a full reset and flashing of the factory image, that most likely means it is a hardware issue, maybe the battery. You can try changing it yourself or getting someone else to do it. This is what I think the issue is.
lolcakes203 said:
If its happening even after a full reset and flashing of the factory image, that most likely means it is a hardware issue, maybe the battery. You can try changing it yourself or getting someone else to do it. This is what I think the issue is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
Thanks.
Regarding the battery... I had considered that. Although the battery was working fine right up to the time the N4 started having issues. Even during the issues... I could charge and discharge the battery as per normal. I tested this by discharging it by leaving the N4 in bootloader mode, and unplugged. After about 12 hours it would discharge completely. I was then able to charge it up, as per normal.
So that had me thinking it was not likely the battery at fault. What are your thoughts?
Very strange situation here. It seems somehow that booting into android causes some sort of power delivery issue and that results in the phone shutting down. I don't understand how that power delivery issue can exist within the android os but not within the bootloader if it was a hardware issue, especially after flashing the full factory image. I'm not sure, but I would still bet it a hardware issue, although perhaps not the battery.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app
It sounds like the battery to me, running in bootloader mode requires nowhere near the current that the full OS does.
DrFredPhD said:
It sounds like the battery to me, running in bootloader mode requires nowhere near the current that the full OS does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologise for taking so long to respond. I don't seem to be getting notifications. Will check into that.
With regard to the battery... When the phone is fully charged (and it was just like normal... prior to me toasting the OS in an attempt to refresh the device, AND it charges normally by plugging it in when turned off or in BL mode), it takes perhaps 12 hours or more to discharge, with the screen on permanently, whilst I leave it in BL mode. So if the battery is the issue, it's certainly got nothing to do with the battery being able to receive and take a charge. That happens absolutely per normal.
What I am wondering, however, if perhaps the USB board could be faulty? I actually replaced the USB board a month or two ago, as the connector on the original one died and Google refused to repair it on warranty because there was a crack on the back glass. The replacement is an LG part. I am wondering if there might be something in that logic of that board that is screwing up... such that when the cable is unplugged the device somehow "thinks" it is plugged in and thus in charge mode, rather than drawing from the battery. I am not sure where the logic for the device to determine whether to draw current from battery or USB resides. But is it feasible that this might be going on?
I'd love to revive this little brick back to smart-phone status.

Hard bricked (Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008). Bootloader locked

My nexus is hard bricked after a usual reboot. There is no reaction on power button or power button + vol. down. I have the latest update (Oreo 8.1). The bootloader hasn't been unlocked. The only one reaction is a Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008 (COM3) when I plug in the phone to my windows PC.
So is there any option to reanimate the phone?
Possibly the battery is completely done. My friend at work was telling me how his 6p's shut off completely and a new battery brought back to life. However unless your gonna change the battery yourself is it worth the risk of investing $100 your call.
Nexus 6P bootloader locked
I would like to share my experience on how I saved my Nexus 6P which was bootlooping with bootloader locked and inaccessible recovery mode.
The problem started when I had updated my phone with latest OTA update 8.1.0 (Oreo). While I was browsing fb after the update, suddenly the phone froze and restarted. And ever since that moment it begun to bootloop. I tried to access recovery from Fastboot so that I can clear the cache which would most of the time resolve the bootloop issue however this time around I was unable to go to the recovery mode too. I wouldn't been able to flash from fastboot since bootloader was locked. There is no way to get around this unless I would be able to load the OS and go into Developer option to turn on "Enable OEM unlock" in the settings.
Since I would not be able to flash the stock ROM or get into recovery mode, I contacted Google support for help. They directed me to Huawei Support. Huawei told that since my phone is out of 1 year warranty they would not be able to service this phone and would cost me nearly $400 for getting me a replacement. Spending $400 for 20 months old phone was absurd.
I started to explore online what are the options available given the tight situation that I was into. I came across few forums discussing about using a heat gun above the finger print sensor to throttle the CPU which may stop the phone from bootlooping. I used a hair dryer to heat the phone while the phone is continuously bootlooping. I would heat for about 7 - 10 mins to an extent where I would not be able to hold the phone anymore. After nearly 7 to 8 failed attempts spread over 2 weeks, the magic worked.
The last attempt was slightly different. Here is what I did -
1. Battery was fully drained
2. I started to charge the phone while I kept it outside my window for about 20 mins. Temp outside was around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. (Did this step since I read somewhere that keeping the phone in refrigerator and restarting would resolve bootloop issue) However it continued to bootloop.
3. While the phone continued to bootloop, I allowed the phone to charge overnight.
4. Next day I saw that the phone did not restart like how it used to. It was stuck at GOOGLE and would not restart.
5. I disconnected from the charger. Went to fastboot and switched off the phone.
6. I started to heat the phone using hair dryer with the phone switched off for about 10 mins. I held it was a cloth since it gets hot pretty fast.
7. Paused for a sec, turned on the phone (it was bootlooping) and continued to heat the phone for another 5 mins. (by then I gave up)
8. Stopped heating. I left the phone and went out to work on something else. After half an hour, when i returned I saw that the phone was completely switched off and was not bootlooping. I got excited since I know that the phone was fully charged overnight and there is no way that the phone would have died due to battery drain.
9. I immediately turned on by holding on to the VOL down button. I selected recovery from fastboot. To my surprise for the first time in 2 weeks I was able to go into recovery mode. I cleared cache and restarted the phone in Normal mode.
10. Phone booted properly and loaded the OS.
11. First thing I did was to go into developer options and turn on "ENABLE OEM UNLOCK" option. (By now I knew how important it was to have this enabled. THIS COULD SAVE YOUR $549 PHONE!!)
12. Took a backup of all the files and unlocked the bootloader.
I downgraded the OS to 7.1.2 (Aug release) which I felt was a stable one for Nexus 6P. I also did a h/w check and all the tests passed CPU / Memory is fine. I am still not sure what could have caused the bootloop but the fact that it happened after the Oreo OTA would make me to stay away from upgrading the Android version beyond 7.1.2.
Thanks,
Prasad
Exodusche said:
Possibly the battery is completely done. My friend at work was telling me how his 6p's shut off completely and a new battery brought back to life. However unless your gonna change the battery yourself is it worth the risk of investing $100 your call.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I've already replaced the battery by myself and of course it wasn't original. But after this the phone has been working for 6 months correctly. Moreover, it seems that the battery isn't completely dead.
I could try change the battery once again but how it could cause hard brick?
@Speed1908 thanks for your replay, but it is not my case.

Boot loop on the 8 inch.

So since the bootloader is unlocked, when I plug up my tablet, it keeps flashing the battery icon., with the orange state message. I was trying to install an os but when I try to install something via TWRP or Fastboot, the device just shuts off. and it keeps showing the battery icon for every 5 seconds. Help!!!!!
antoinejr1111 said:
So since the bootloader is unlocked, when I plug up my tablet, it keeps flashing the battery icon., with the orange state message. I was trying to install an os but when I try to install something via TWRP or Fastboot, the device just shuts off. and it keeps showing the battery icon for every 5 seconds. Help!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine did that when i had a bad battery (i had it less that a week). I bought another battery from ebay and replaced it and it is working again... it gave me all the options to fastboot, recovery, or boot normally when i held the vol up. Whenever i selected anything it would shut off. When plugged in, it would just keep popping up the battery icon. You can try the sp flash tool and try flashing the factory image, if you are sure the battery is working...
It sounds like your battery is too low. At least that was my problem, same symptoms. I had to open mine up and unplug the screen so it would charge the battery enough.
I threw mine in the garbage! It did it again with the ****ty battery... Onn has found a way to make Amazon fires looks like high tech.... I have a 10.1 that hasn't given me issues yet...
Michajin said:
I threw mine in the garbage! It did it again with the ****ty battery... Onn has found a way to make Amazon fires looks like high tech.... I have a 10.1 that hasn't given me issues yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nevermind I used the SP Flash Tool.

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