Database Users

Idiots guide to unlocking sony Z1

After hours of trying different methods to root the z1, and struggling with chinese based apps ... and accidentally wiping the phone ..... nothing manage to root the phone. until i came across the following,
anyways to make life easy i have complied all the steps that you need to do to root the phone from 3 seperate guides. I didnt write this article i just compiled it for easy reading
http://techbeasts.com/2013/12/19/in...ng-latest-14-2-0-a-290-firmware-how-to-guide/
http://techbeasts.com/2013/12/18/in...ers-quickly-with-minimal-tool-on-windows-pc/
http://techbeasts.com/2013/12/18/how-to-unlock-bootloader-of-sony-xperia-devices-guide/
This guide is only for Sony Xperia Z1 C6903/2.
1. Do not try this on any other model, please check your device’s mode in Settings > About Device.
2. The CWM / TWRP recovery is only for Xperia Z1 C6903/C6902 running latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean 14.2.A.0.290 firmware. Check your firmware version in Settings > About Device and make sure that it matches the one mentioned here.
3. You must have installed Android ADB & Fastboot drivers.
TO INSTALL ADB & Fastboot Drivers tool:
a. Download the Minimal ADB & Fastboot Drivers tool: Link 1 | Link 2
b. Run the minimaltool.exe file that you downloaded and install the tool.
c. You can run the tool now by either through the Start menu, through the icon that you created on the desktop or by opening Program files > Minimal ADB & Fastboot > Right click on an empty area while keeping the shift key pressed and click on “Open Command Window Here”. ( NOTE: just double clicking on the desktop icon opens the command prompt window)
d. Use the Command prompt to do whatever you want now!
e. To install any .img file, you will have to place that file in the Minimal Tool folder that is located under Program files. (in win8.1 its : C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot)
f. To access the Fastboot mode, you’ll have to first bring the Fastboot mode on your device and then connect it. E.g on HTC devices you can highlight Fastboot mode by accessing it through HBoot and then connect it, while on Sony you can turn off the device and then while keeping the back or volume up key pressed plug in the USB cable.
That’s All! You’ve successfully installed Android ADB & Fastboot drivers. I hope that it didn’t take more than 2 minutes for you.
4. Your device must have an unlocked bootloader. This is the slightly troublesome part but its straight forward.
How to Unlock Bootloader
Install Android ADB & Fastboot Drivers using the quick setup with Minimal tool. Find the guide here.
Now first of all you need to check if your device’s bootloader unlocking is allowed or not, to do so open the dailer on your device.
Type *#*#7378423#*#*.
As soon as you enter the above code, a menu will open up.
Tap Service info > Configuration > Bootloader Unlock. If it says Yes, that means bootloader unlocking is allowed, else you can also find out if the Bootloader is already unlocked.
Now in the dialer type “*#06#”, you should get the IMEI number of your phone. Note it down somewhere
After verifying the bootloader unlock permission, turn off your device completely.
Now open the Minimal ADB and Fastboot command prompt, that you created using the guide above.
Press the back key or Volume Up key on your Xperia Device and connect it to your PC while keeping the key pressed. The back key works for older Xperia devices, while for newer devices Volume Up key will work.
In case you are trying to unlock the bootloader of your Sony Xperia Z1, please make sure that it’s running on latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean firmware. If you tried to unlock bootloader on Android 4.2.2 firmware, it will cause the camera crash on your device.
In the command prompt type: fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version and press enter, you should get a response now e.g (0.3). This step is to verify that your device is properly connected or not.
Now open this Pageand accept the legal terms and conditions by Sony to unlock the bootloader.
After accepting the legal terms and conditions, enter your name, your phone’s IMEI number (Remove the last digit of IMEI number) and your email and click Submit button
You should receive an email by Sony immediately, the email has the Key to unlock your phone’s bootloader.
Now again in the command prompt type this com: fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xKEY. Repalce KEY with the code that you got in the email by Sony and hit Enter.
As soon as you hit Enter, the bootloader will be unlocked and show you logs in the command prompt.
5 . Please make sure that your phone’s battery is charged at least over 60%. This is highly recommended in order to prevent any power issues during the recovery flashing process.
6. Please make sure that you backup all of your important media content, contacts, call logs and important text messages. This is highly recommended so that in case something goes wrong, you can still restore your data.
7. Use only OEM data cable to establish connection between your PC and Phone.
8. Now that the basics are done.... this is how to root
How to Install TWRP / CWM Recovery on Xperia Z1 C6903 and C6902:
Download your desired recovery.img file:
i recommend philz advance cwm , its easier and you arent required to download supersu
Philz Advance CWM Recovery for Xperia Z1 C6903/2
CWM Recovery for Xperia Z1 C6903/2
TWRP Recovery for Xperia Z1 C6903/2
Place the downloaded Recovery.img file in the Minimal ADB & Fastboot folder that you created using our ADB & Fastboot Quick Setup Guide.
If you are using Android ADB & Fastboot full package, you can place the downloaded Recovery.img file in the Fastboot folder or in the Platform-tools folder.
Open the folder where you placed the Recovery.img file. E.g Minimal ADB & Fastboot or Fastboot or Platform Tools. (in win8.1 its : C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot)
Press and hold the shift key and right click on an empty area within the folder, and click on “Open Command Window Here”.
Turn off your Xperia Z1 completely.
Now press the Volume Up Key and while keeping it pressed plug in the USB cable.
You should see a blue light in the notification light of your phone, that means your device is now connected in Fastboot mode.
Now type the following command: Fastboot Flash boot Recoveryname.img
You may rename the recovery.img file for your ease of access and replace it with Recoveryname in the command to flash it.
Hit Enter and it will quickly flash CWM / TWRP recovery in your Xperia Z1.
How to Root Sony Xperia Z1 C6903 and C6902:
WITH PhilZ Advance CWM without installing SuperSu:
Boot into recovery (when the sony logo appears on boot press volume up volume down until the recovery loads)
Select Reboot System Now
Select Root device
Your phone will restart
Congrats! You’re rooted now.
WITH SuperSu:
Download the latest SuperSu.zip file.
Place the downloaded SuperSu.zip file on your phone’s sd card.
Boot into CWM / TWRP recovery on your phone.
Select Install Zip / Install > Choose Zip from SD / Ext Sd card > SuperSu.zip
Select Yes and let it flash SuperSu.
As soon as flashing is done, reboot your device.
Find SuperSu in App drawer.
Congrats! You’re rooted now.

You could root Z1 by flashing 14.1.G.1.534 and root with rootkitXperia, but it was too late
If you never use music features related to DRM, it's OK though...
Learn more about TA:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2440597

Stuck on boot animation screen? [SOLVED]

I tried to root my NSTV and got as far as flashing the .zip file in TWRP but after I rebooted, it's now stuck in the boot animation screen with the dancing colored circles?
Any ideas please?
SOLUTION
First download Recovery OS Image from here: https://developer.nvidia.com/gameworksdownload
SHIELD RECOVERY IMAGE FLASHING INSTRUCTIONS
To follow the instructions in this guide, you will need adb and fastboot.
 These tools are provided as part of the Android SDK:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Before flashing this recovery image to your SHIELD, connect your SHIELD
 via USB to the PC where you downloaded this recovery image.
Next, put your SHIELD into fastboot mode using one of the following methods:
SW method:
- Boot to android home screen
- Connect the device to linux/windows system
- Open terminal (on linux); command prompt (on windows).
- Type "adb reboot bootloader" in terminal/command prompt
HW method:
- Disconnect power cable
- Insert USB OTG cable and make sure to connect other end to a host PC
- Connect power cable to SHIELD
- Quickly start pressing power button for ~3 seconds
- Do not hold the button and connect power supply afterwards
- HDMI TV should be always connected to SHIELD
Alternative method:
- Perform software shutdown on SHIELD by holding Power button for 10 seconds
- Connect USB OTG cable to SHIELD
- Start pressing power button for 3 seconds
- HDMI TV should be always connected to SHIELD
Fastboot menu navigation:
- Single tap on touch button for navigations between different menu.
- Hold down touch button for 4 second and release for selecting any menu
To flash this recovery image to your SHIELD, run the following commands from
 the directory where you extracted the recovery image package. If this is the
first time you have done this procedure, you must unlock the bootloader. Get
 DTB file name to use for flashing for your product(see below):
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
fastboot flash staging blob
fastboot flash dtb <DTB file name>
Unlocking the Bootloader
Your SHIELD may have shipped with a locked bootloader. To update the device,
you must unlock the bootloader using the following:
- fastboot oem unlock
- It will take you to '!!! READ THE FOLLOWING !!!' page.
- Two selectable options are available. 'Confirm' and 'Back to menu'.
- Select 'Confirm' to unlock the bootloader.
Unlock may take upto 2 hours for pro device.
Get <DTB file name>
- For base sku use dtb file "tegra210-foster-e-p2530-0930-e02-00.dtb"
- For pro sku use dtb file "tegra210-foster-e-hdd-p2530-0932-e02-00.dtb"

old thread i know, but still very helpful!
after updating to 3.2 yesterday and then trying to root it again (lost after the update), i was stuck at the boot animation screen for-ev-ver!!
used this guide to fix and was successful, however there was one change that i had to make: after extracting the 3.1 recovery image....there was no "userdata.img" file. so in place of that file, i flashed the "vendor.img", which was in the extracted folder along with the other files i needed to flash.
in the end what worked for me was the following:
downloaded the 3.1 recovery OS image from the link provided in OP. extracted/unzipped the image file to a folder, then from that folder i flashed the following files in this order:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
fastboot flash staging blob
fastboot flash dtb tegra210-foster-e-p2530-0930-e02-00.dtb
worked like a charm for me, booted up fine, ran updates and when it was done it asked if i wanted to update to version 3.2 ....i said yes and when that finished, i tried to root it once again. all went smoothly this time. not sure what went wrong the first time, but i am now on version 3.2, rooted, and did not even lose any data along the way!!
hardest part for me was getting into the bootloader (using HW method posted above). took me quite a few tries before i nailed it, lol
thanks for posting @Neo3D

Just tried to do it, but failed:
C:\adb>fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
target reported max download size of 67108864 bytes
sending 'recovery' (22712 KB)...
FAILED (data transfer failure (Unknown error))
finished. total time: 5.014s

I;m stuck,it won't except the tegra darcy or tegra foster. Help please i am sitting her stuck!

[Factory Image] 7.0.0 (NRD90M)

To flash a system image:
Download the appropriate system image for your device below, then unzip it to a safe directory.
Connect your device to your computer over USB.
Start the device in fastboot mode with one of the following methods:
Using the adb tool: With the device powered on, execute:
adb reboot bootloader
Using a key combo: Turn the device off, then turn it on and immediately hold down the relevant key combination for your device. For example, to put a Nexus 5 ("hammerhead") into fastboot mode, press and hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power as the device begins booting up.
If necessary, unlock the device's bootloader by running:
Code:
fastboot flashing unlock
or, for older devices, running:
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
The target device will show you a confirmation screen. (This erases all data on the target device.)
Open a terminal and navigate to the unzipped system image directory.
Execute the
Code:
flash-all
script. This script installs the necessary bootloader, baseband firmware(s), and operating system.
Once the script finishes, your device reboots. You should now lock the bootloader for security:
Start the device in fastboot mode again, as described above.
Execute:
Code:
fastboot flashing lock
or, for older devices, running:
Code:
fastboot oem lock
Locking bootloader will wipe the data on some devices. After locking the bootloader, if you want to flash the device again, you must run
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
again, which will wipe the data.
7.0.0 (NRD90M)
Direct Link: https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/ryu-nrd90m-factory-6aec2222.tgz
SHA-256 Checksum: 026f5936f788ec5486931c30d01620db20346dc1d0b8c583efaeaa063c8c9f14

or just go to the official site and read the instructions and download everything from there: https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images ...

Downgrade Orea beta to Nougat

Orea beta is great but battery drain so much.
for 30 min of screen use it used 11%, is it normal ?
and I am looking to go back to Nougat, could any one please tell me how can I go back.
Thank you.

are this instructions for downgrading ?
Set up your computer for flashing
Download the fastboot tool from the Android SDK Platform-Tools package
Add it to your path so the flash scripts can find it
Connect your Essential phone to your computer with a USB cable
Enable unlocking
Before you can flash a new image, ensure Developer options are enabled and OEM unlocking is turned on. To do this:
Tap Settings, then tap System > About phone
Scroll to the bottom of the page, then tap Build number multiple times until you see the pop-up message “You are now a developer” (It usually takes seven taps)
Go back one screen to System, then tap Developer options
Find the option: OEM Unlocking and turn it on
Fastboot mode
Put your Essential Phone into fastboot mode by doing either of the following:
Use the ADB tool packaged above to run the command: adb reboot bootloader
Reboot your phone while holding the Volume-down button
Unlock your bootloader
NOTE: Installing the factory image will erase all information from your device. So remember to backup your phone before continuing.
Run the command: fastboot flashing unlock
Press the Volume-down button to navigate to the YES option, then press the Power button to confirm
Flash your factory image
Download the factory image to your computer
Unzip the downloaded file
Go to where you unzipped the images
For Linux / Mac OS X - Run the command: flashall.sh
For Windows - Run the command: flashall.bat
https://forum.xda-developers.com/essential-phone/help

Yup those are them, I just did it yesterday.
Just an FYI, I found that putting Oreo on the phone resulted in ADB not working 100% anymore, such as attempting to reboot into recovery/etc. It would just reboot back into the O.S..
Here is what I did.
- download the current release you want to flash. (e.g. NMJ32F), then unzip it into a new folder.
- on your phone, verify that USB debugging and OEM unlocking are turned on in the developers menu.
- reboot your phone into the fastboot mode (power and volume down buttons)
- from your adb command line: type: fastboot flashing unlock
- This will make your phone show a new screen asking if you want to unlock the bootloader. Use the volume down to select YES, and hit the power button. It will now reboot and erase the phone. It will eventually end up booting up too request you setup the phone. (that is what it did for me.)
- reboot the phone back into the fastboot mode (power and volume down buttons)
- you should now see the bootloader listed as unlocked (vs locked)
- from your adb command line: type: fastboot devices (which should show your phones serial number and fastboot next too it.
- on your computer, using the command line, go to the unzipped folder of the NMJ32F build you downloaded
- in the folder there is a batch file you will run called flashall.bat. run it
- your phone will start flashing the NMJ32F build
- when it completes it will reboot a couple of times, erase the phone, and end up at the "lets get started" screen.
- reboot the phone back to the fastboot mode
- from your adb command line: type: fastboot flashing lock
- select the option to lock your bootloader. The phone will reboot/erase I believe, and then end up back to the "lets get started" screen.
- after you setup your phone, you can go back into the developers menu to turn off the oem unlocking
The above steps pretty much follow essentials instructions. (the essential instructions don't give some specifics.)
You are all done. (I recommend you review my instructions and the essential instructions carefully, don't copy paste commands as I may have spelled something wrong, etc.. Just wanted to give you a flow of the process.)
vjyrdy said:
are this instructions for downgrading ?
Set up your computer for flashing
Download the fastboot tool from the Android SDK Platform-Tools package
Add it to your path so the flash scripts can find it
Connect your Essential phone to your computer with a USB cable
Enable unlocking
Before you can flash a new image, ensure Developer options are enabled and OEM unlocking is turned on. To do this:
Tap Settings, then tap System > About phone
Scroll to the bottom of the page, then tap Build number multiple times until you see the pop-up message “You are now a developer” (It usually takes seven taps)
Go back one screen to System, then tap Developer options
Find the option: OEM Unlocking and turn it on
Fastboot mode
Put your Essential Phone into fastboot mode by doing either of the following:
Use the ADB tool packaged above to run the command: adb reboot bootloader
Reboot your phone while holding the Volume-down button
Unlock your bootloader
NOTE: Installing the factory image will erase all information from your device. So remember to backup your phone before continuing.
Run the command: fastboot flashing unlock
Press the Volume-down button to navigate to the YES option, then press the Power button to confirm
Flash your factory image
Download the factory image to your computer
Unzip the downloaded file
Go to where you unzipped the images
For Linux / Mac OS X - Run the command: flashall.sh
For Windows - Run the command: flashall.bat
https://forum.xda-developers.com/essential-phone/help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I cannot get past the flashall.sh command, says permission denied everytime. I am able to execute every command to that point with out any issues. I have downloaded the latest android platform tools, and my mac is on the latest version of macOS . I have also tried to flash every single image that is available on the essential dev webpage. Any ideas would be awesome, is in possible to side load using the adb commands from the recovery menu and avoid the fastboot mode all together.

swagglepuff said:
I cannot get past the flashall.sh command, says permission denied everytime. I am able to execute every command to that point with out any issues. I have downloaded the latest android platform tools, and my mac is on the latest version of macOS . I have also tried to flash every single image that is available on the essential dev webpage. Any ideas would be awesome, is in possible to side load using the adb commands from the recovery menu and avoid the fastboot mode all together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unlock_critical.
You can't flash all the partitions is you have not performed and unlock AND and unlock_critical.

tech_head said:
unlock_critical.
You can't flash all the partitions is you have not performed and unlock AND and unlock_critical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have ran both unlock commands successfully and still get permission denied

swagglepuff said:
I have ran both unlock commands successfully and still get permission denied
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And you checked the OEM unlock in developer options?
Hmmmm

tech_head said:
And you checked the OEM unlock in developer options?
Hmmmm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue has something to do with Mac and the platform tools. I was able to downgrade with no problem using a friend's Windows PC.

Sorry for the silly question, but what does this statements means?
"Add it to your path so the flash scripts can find it"
Is there any better instructions for first time user which dont include instructions like above? Thanks.

trizon2016 said:
Sorry for the silly question, but what does this statements means?
"Add it to your path so the flash scripts can find it"
Is there any better instructions for first time user which dont include instructions like above? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing confusing about that statement for Windows, MacOS or Linux.
A command path needs to exist so that when you type the command it can be found.

[How-to-guide]How to return to a stock ROM with Factory Images

These instructions will help you to return to the stock 2.3.6/4.0.4/4.1.2 using Factory Images for i9020t and i9023
I do not have the device so these instructions might not be exact
1.Boot into the fastboot (adb reboot bootloader)
2.Once in the fastboot, enter fastboot oem unlock
3.The device will display a disclaimer that you need to accept. Use the volume keys to toggle the options. Pressing the power button should confirm your choice.
4.If the device does not restart automatically, restart it through the menu. The device should now be unlocked. You can verify this by seeing the unlocked device icon at the bottom of the Google boot screen during the reboot.
5.Go back to fastboot
6.Download the ROM you need from https://developers.google.com/android/images#soju and unzip it wherever you want
7.In the folder with the unpacked ROM (there should be files like bootloader-crespo-i9020xxka3.img, flash-all.sh, flash-base.sh, flash-all.bat, image-soju-jzo54k.zip, radio-crespo-i9020xxki1.img (depending on the ROM name you downloaded may be different) put the SDK Platform Tools for your OS https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools#downloads.
For Linux just run flash-base.sh first and wait until the script works, then run flash-all.sh and wait until the script works.
For Windwos just run flash-all.bat and wait for the script to work
8.After the script works just use fastboot reboot to reboot into the OS