[FAQ] HELP! I've (insert something horrible) and need help!

[sidsixseven]

First, calm down. We like to scare the death out of people in these threads because rooting your phone is your responsibility and if something goes wrong, we don't want to share in the blame for your choices. The reality is that if you can get into HBOOT, there will be someone around these forums that can talk you off the ledge.

These are the most common scenarios I have seen posted requiring help. This isn't every scenario and I take no responsibility if you make a mistake or brick your phone. If you need or want help (even to just confirm something) don't hesitate to post in the Rescue Squad forum.

This guide is broken down into three sections: Revolutionary Root, Manual Root, and ROM/Kernel (for after you are already rooted). Please read the section appropriate to the type of ROOT that you are attempting. If you don't know, go to THIS GUIDE HERE and read up on the types of ROOT procedures.


Revolutionary Root Troubleshooting:
First and foremost, if you are rooting using Revolutionary, please take the time to read the OFFICIAL FAQ located on the Revolutionary website. I am not going to cover any of the "common problems" questions answered on the Revolutionary site.

Problem: Revolutionary says my key is invalid

Answer: The key is in lower case letters, so an i ("eye") can look like an l ("ell"). To make it easier, copy/paste. To highlight a section in the Command Prompt, right click the window and select "Mark" then using your arrow keys navigate the blinking cursor to where you want to start highlighting. Then hold shift and move the arrow keys to highlight. To copy, hit CTRL-C and the highlighted selection is in your clipboard and can be pasted.

Problem: Revolutionary is stuck and all I see is "Waiting for device...", "Waiting for fastboot", “Waiting for the system to settle", or “Communications with phone unexpectedly interrupted”

Answer: (credits RootzWiki wiki)

1. Make sure your phone is connected, powered on with USB Debugging enabled and in USB charge-only mode, or in HBOOT USB/Fastboot mode.
2. Make sure that HTC Sync, Doubletwist, and any other apps which may try to automatically sync with your device are not installed on your computer.
3. (Re)install the HTC USB drivers and update your device's drivers via Device Manager.
4. Make sure your device appears when you run adb devices in your command prompt, shell, or terminal.
5. Run Revolutionary as Administrator:

• Windows XP: Log-in as an Administrator and double-click the revolutionary.exe.
• Windows 7/Vista: Right-click revolutionary.exe and select "Run as administrator".
• Linux: In your shell or terminal, cd to the directory where Revolutionary was extracted, and run the following:
• sudo ./revolutionary

Problem: Clockwork Recovery fails to download/install

Answer: First, you can always restart Revolutionary and after getting a message that you already have S-ON, you will be prompted to Download/Install Recovery again. If restarting it doesn't fix it and you have your firewall turned off, then you will need to manually flash a Recovery. There are instructions on how to manually flash Clockwork Recovery here.

Problem: I get errors that say "Not writing bad block at 0xXXXXXX" while running Revolutionary.

Answer: You have a hardware error on your device that is not allowing Revolutionary to write to the block. There is no known work around for this problem.

Problem: I have S-OFF, but I am not rooted. I am getting Force Closes or other problems with Superuser.

Answer: The most common problem with this method appears to be getting Superuser to work, I am going to post some suggestions and comments. I can't tell you WHY you are having the problem but I can take you through the steps I would make to attempt to fix it.If you are having trouble with Superuser, try the following:

• First, Go into settings > applications > all and find the Superuser app. Open and click "clear data". Then reboot your phone. It's not uncommon for the problems to sort themselves out after a reboot after a fresh install of Superuser. There is a great FREE program on the market that will let you test root access. It's called "Root Check" and I highly recommend it for determining if rooting was successful or not.

• Second, ensure that you have S-OFF on your phone. To do this, turn your phone off. Then hold down volume while powering your phone on. This will bring you into the HBOOT menu. At the top, confirm you have S-OFF. If it says S-ON, you need to restart the root process to gain S-OFF. To gain S-OFF and restart the root process, stay in HBOOT, then click on FASTBOOT, plug your phone back into your computer, and start Revolutionary program again.

• Third, try wiping Cache and Dalvik cache in Recovery. "Wipe Cache" is found on the main Recovery menu, "Wipe Dalvik Cache" can be found under Advanced. My advice would be to actually do this BEFORE flashing the Superuser .zip file in Recovery.

• Fourth, if you are getting Force Closes, then try running "FIX PERMISSIONS" in Recovery. This usually fixes Force Close problems.

• And lastly, what Superuser file did you flash in Recovery? All of the available Superuser versions can be found here on the developer's download page. Whatever version you install, it must be one of the "efgh" versions. The "cd" version is for the Cupcake and Donut operating system versions. The "efgh" is for the Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, and Honeycomb versions. As of this writing on 8-24, the most current (non-beta) version is 2.3.6.3 and that is the file linked in this guide. You may also wish to try the latest "efgh" beta version. Currently, this is 3.0 beta 4.

• If your issue is with Busybox, rather than Superuser, then download Titanium Backup and go to Problems to download a working Busybox.

If you have tried all of the above, have S-OFF, and still can't get Superuser to work. Then my next suggestion would be to flash a stock rooted ROM that already has busybox/superuser installed. Provided you have S-OFF, this should not be a problem.

Manual Root Troubleshooting:

Problem: You type in 'adb devices' and don't see any devices listed.

Answer: The Windows drivers were not installed properly. The easiest way to ensure the drivers are installed correctly is to install HTC Synch. You can uninstall it and the drivers will remain.

Problem: You are getting a "permission" error (something like "Failed to set prot mask") and/or otherwise see a **LOCKED** at the top of your bootloader (HBOOT).

Answer: You have updated to a **LOCKED** bootloader and the exploit used in this manual method has been closed. All is not lost but you will need to use the Revolutionary root method to root your phone.

Problem: I'm in the bootloader (HBOOT) with the white screen and text highlighted in blue, but I don't see a "Do you want to start update?" prompt.

Answer: Check to make sure that the PG05IMG file is properly named and on your SD card. It doesn't go in a folder, just place it in the SD card and make sure it's not named PG05IMG.zip.zip which is a common error.

Problem: The MD5 Checksum value does not match the instructions (or you get an error).

Answer: Redownload the PG05IMG and put it back on your SD card (making sure you named it correctly). Restart the instructions from the step starting with "adb shell /data/local/psneuter".

Problem: I've finished the rooting process, but I don't appear to be rooted.

Answer: Did you flash both PG05IMG files? It's not uncommon for people to stop halfway because the remaining instructions appear to repeat themselves for a second file. If you did flash twice, then reboot your phone and check to see if you are rooted again.

ROM/Kernel/Radio Troubleshooting:

Problem: I don't have a cell signal or data connection after flashing a new ROM.

Answer: First, ensure your battery cover is on. The antenna is located on the battery cover, if it is not attached securely, you won't get a connection. Second, if the cover is on, then ensure that the RADIO you have installed is compatible with your ROM. See my RADIO GUIDE HERE to help you figure out what RADIO you have installed.

Problem: I keep getting Force Closes and I'm not sure why...

Answer: Reboot your phone into Recovery and Wipe Cache, Wipe Dalvik Cache, and then Fix Permissions. This usually fixes Force Close problems. If the problem persists, you can try re-flashing the ROM.

Problem: I just installed CM7 (or another AOSP rom) and I can't find the Market.

Answer: For licensing reasons, CM7 and many AOSP-based ROMs do not come installed with Google Applications like Gmail or the Market. To install the Market on these ROMs, you need to flash a gapps.zip in Clockwork Recovery after installing the ROM. You can do this anytime after installing the ROM and even before you boot the ROM for the first time. The latest GAPPS can be found on this site: http://goo-inside.me/gapps/

Problem: I've installed a new (something) and my phone is bootlooping or stuck at the white HTC screen. What do I do?

Answer: Power the phone off. Turn it back on while holding Volume down. This should get you into HBOOT. From here, navigate to Recovery to enter Clockwork Recovery and restore a backup. Or alternately, perform a data wipe and reflash the ROM.

Problem: I can't get into Recovery from HBOOT. It keeps prompting me to start an update.

Answer: You still have a PG05IMG.zip on your SD card that HBOOT wants to install. Once you delete it, you can get into Recovery. The easiest way to delete it is to take the SD card out and use a SD card reader on your computer to delete the file.

Problem: I flashed a new Radio and now I'm not getting a cell signal.

Answer: The radio needs to match the ROM. Simply make sure you are using the right radio for your ROM. Older Froyo ROMs and Kernels will not work with the latest MR2+ radios. And vice versa, new ROMs will not work with the MR1 radios. See my RADIO GUIDE HERE to help you figure out what RADIO you have installed.

Problem: I don't know how, but I'm now S-ON with a non-stock ROM and I am screwed. NOTE: When you enter HBOOT (phone off, hold volume down and turn phone on), you will see either S-ON or S-OFF at the top of the screen.

Answer: If you are S-ON, something you did unrooted your phone. To fix this, you will need to install a signed RUU. A full signed S-ON RUU of the 7/8 OTA can be found at the below link. DO NOT INSTALL IF YOU ARE S-OFF (rooted). You can download the S-ON signed RUU of the 7/8 OTA here:[Exclusive Download] Leaked 1.70.605.0 Update For The HTC Thunderbolt (No, It's Not Gingerbread)

Problem: I am still S-OFF (rooted), but I'm having trouble even restoring through Clockwork Recovery. I've even tried to get into Recovery through HBOOT following the above instructions and I don't have a PG05IMG.zip on my SD card.

Answer: If you are S-OFF, you are still rooted, so you need to flash a full unsigned RUU. This will result in a full wipe. A good unsigned RUU is FOUND HERE and named "PG05IMG_MR1_upgrade.zip" -- this is the last file flashed in the old manual root method. Put that on your SD card, rename it PG05IMG.zip and then flash it in HBOOT. Once complete, this will update you to a rooted version of the MR1 stock update. From here, you will want to install ROM Manager, re-flash Clockwork Recovery, and install a new ROM and RADIO.

Problem: I flashed the unsigned RUU above named "PG05IMG_MR1_upgrade.zip", but my phone still won't start. It just displays the white HTC screen and then briefly shows the second splash or animation screen and then immediately restarts. I've tried getting into Clockwork Recovery through HBOOT, but again, I just see Recovery briefly and then the phone reboots again.

Answer: It is possibly this may be a true brick caused by a hardware failure in your phone. The ongoing theory is that some phones have a defective emmc chip. For additional advice, download an IRC client and visit #thunderbolt on irc.andirc.net

Problem: I am trying to unroot my phone and return stock but when I flash the PG05IMG.zip that includes the S-ON bootloader, it says "Bypassed" and skips installing it.

Answer: You have rooted using the Revolutionary root method and have the protected S-OFF bootloader installed that prevents you from accidentally flashing an S-ON bootloader. You need to unroot using this method:[RS Guide] How Return to Stock from Revolutionary Root

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[cowboy_tech]

This thread needs big friendly letters saying....

DON'T PANIC

Good write-up

You've been-----\/\/\/\-----Thunderstruck!!!
ThunderStick

[crazydad]

Excellent Sid nice job!!!

[sonicbuffalo]

great job Sid....it should help a lot of people get out of jams when there is no rescue squad available.

[amelissa]

Wow! I am so on that ledge and cant figure out what to do!!! I rooted, no problem with Revolutionary. Then I added the radio official MR2 (?) . Then I did the ROM Gingeritis... Everything was working great! Then I found a theme called Gingercutee and installed it through ROM manager only choosing the first and last option (I think since I cant see it...) Then when I unlock screen it goes to a bunch of foreclosures!!

I still can mount the SD card on my computer but I can not get into recovery with the SD card I have had in it. It goes to wanting to do update and that is all I can do. I took out the SD card and held the power button and down key and i could then do the factory restore, tried to clear the Dalvik but when it starts it still goes back to that theme and it locks me out.

I did go on the SD card and delete the theme to see if that would help and it does not.

Is there a way to flash back to original through the SD card using the computer? I am sure there is a way to fix it I just dont know what steps to take. I hope I didnt leave out anything that I have tried! Thanks in advanced for HELPing! :0)

[Sele]

All you have to do is delete the PG05IMG.zip file from your sd card. You can then boot into recovery and you will be able to flash the rom again without the theme. Don't forget to clear data/cache/dalvik prior to flashing in recovery.

[ukyfan]

nice write up Sid. Hopefully this will help quite a few when and if they have issues.

[sidsixseven]

Updated the OP to include information on Revolutionary Root. This is a work-in-progress, so if you have any suggestions or corrections. Please let me know.

[etx_droid]

I suggest that you keep up the good work

[Shocked]

Help I have inserted something horrible and can't get it out... :-P jk but nice write up

Xoom Xoom