yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Moto X General] JesusLopezO:
Hello! I need your help with my bricked MotoX Please!

Hello! I need help !!! I need to REVIVE ''Hard brick'' my Moto X , Is dead but it turns on the green led!! After posting this i try this post : http://xdaforums.com/moto-x/general/how-to-resurrecting-bricked-moto-x-t2629057 I did all the steps right with no mistake and my moto x still no turning on the fastboot menu :'( please, Another way to revive my moto X? :silly: :crying:
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
There have been FEW exceptions... (i.e. have survived downgrading then upgrading) but it has been the exception, not the rule.

At this point, to be safe... If you have one of the 5.02 leaks on there, keep it. Flash the appropriate 5.1 update leak when in comes, or wait until the 5.1 SBF for your model/carrier comes and flash it.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
You've posted this SAME question in 4 different threads within 22 minutes LATE at night (2:16-2:38 AM Eastern)... you're not usually going to get many QUICK replies at that time.

And if your screen doesn't turn on, and the device doesn't show (in anyway) in Device Manager on your PC... your phone is toast.

Might I ask what exactly you did to get into this situation? And what model X do you have?

EDIT: I see you "flashed a wrong ROM" per -> http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=60399066&postcount=118 Not very descriptive. but ok.
[Moto X General] fahrul:
Just as i thought, thx for confirming.
[Moto X General] Kustaa:
Is checking md5 values from 2 gpt.bin files valid to confirm they're equal on 2 different sbf's?
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
yes, it should be.
[Moto X General] Kustaa:
I compared 2 equal builds, same numbers on the zip, same bytes on files, but different md5, so I guess you have a point on the OP lol
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Found another poster who tried 5.02 and downgraded, skipping GPT.BIN/Motoboot.img and bricked taking OTA....

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=60650177&postcount=432

Added to the OP...

This is why the warnings were issued!!!

As the 5.1 OTA starts rolling out... I expect more and more of these types of posts or threads :(
[Moto X General] jesan9:
Wow :( ... i still have the xt1053 5.0.2 and i will wait for that complete img of 5.1... i don't want to get any ota.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
And another thread example I'll add to the OP... -> [Q] Invalid CID MOTO X XT1058
[Moto X General] s5610:
Brazilian .15 OTA brings another bootloader version update - 30.BE
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Yikes. What is the full android version and software version on the phone after that update?
[Moto X General] s5610:
Modem: MSM8960PRO_BP_23255.138.89.00D

Kernel: 3.4.42 08.05.2015

System: 222.21.15.ghost_row.Brasil.en.BR

Build: LPA23.12-15
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
I've added some info on the bootloader versions (and thanks as well), along with FAQ's 17-20 in the OP over the past day or two.
[Moto X General] aliyangohar4:
Is there any way to downgrade without bricking your phone?
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
The entire point of the first post (and this thread) is... When it comes to having flashed a full SBF or installed an OTA update... No, there is no 100% SAFE way to downgrade. The vast majority of the time, attempts to downgrade result in bricking Also, certain parts of the phone can NOT be downgraded (and are part of the reasons for bricking). If you attempt to SKIP those certain parts, you phone could be buggy, and certain features not work properly.

If there was a 100% safe and reliable way to downgrade, this post/thread would contain it instead of the warnings to Not Downgrade.

That being said, (as also stated in the 1st post) if you install a custom/3rd party rom that only touches system, you can revert back to the rom you were previously running. But this really isn't downgrading.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Added -> [Q] [ Q&A ] Help me, blink my phone, moto x, when trying to install lollipop to the OP.

Per user... "XT1058, Lollipop used RSDLite.." Since we do not have any Lollipop SBF files out, the only thing to flash wth RSDLite are KitKat SBF's.. it appears to be another failed attempt.
[Moto X General] jrredho:
A couple of random thoughts:

First of all, I'm having a difficult time understanding why this thread isn't a Sticky. It would address a pretty good number of the new threads I see posted in Q&A on bricked phones.

Secondly, one thing that I'm not too sure that [MENTION=1165307]KidJoe[/MENTION] places enough emphasis on is the fact that GPT.BIN, which is the file containing new-generation disk partition table, and the bootloader are two different things; they are completely independent of one another.

From looking at the latest OTA I got from VZW, it seems that GPT.BIN was modified. If the bootloader changed in this OTA, it's not obvious to me from the main version number, 30.B7.

Reading some of the stories in Q&A, I'm starting to get the sneaking suspicion that differences in the partition table are at least as responsible for problems folks are having with bricking their phones. That is, stock updates, ROMs, and SBF files appear to rely implicitly on the partition table specifications. That should present a big, big CAVEAT EMPTOR to everyone out there messing with ROMs. Know exactly what you're doing, or be prepared to pay the price...

good luck,

john
[Moto X General] Kustaa:
And when I came here from my galaxy nexus I thought "yeah, this is stock android, it should be the same thing and great development" LOL.
[Moto X General] JulesJam:
They are NOT completely independent of each other. IME, you will get yourself in trouble if you have a bootloader-partition table version mismatch. Your bootloader and your partition table need to be on the same version at all times.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Suggest it to the Mods....

While GPT.BIN and the components of motoboot.img (Bootloader, Trusted Zone, etc), are separate files, up to this point, each OTA has included updated components of motoboot.img which has increased the bootloader, and has included a revised GPT.BIN. This holds true for the leaked test and possible soaks of Lollipop.

The Verizon maintenance Release pushing out this week is an exception. Its also too new. We don't have enough information on it, how significant its changes are, etc. We do not have an SBF/FXZ for it. If someone bricks their phone, or flashes another rom on their phone, we may not have any way to know this maintenance release was on the phone. I.e. if bricked, and we can boot to fastboot AP/Bootloader screen, we could see the bootloader version, but that will only help us know 4.4.4, not which 4.4.4. I'm not sure if "fastboot getvar all" will work, and will show the build number and software version when in a bricked or semi bricked state.

Bootloader and parts of motoboot.img also appear responsible, so I can't say for sure which is "more responsible."

Either way, your last sentence is certainly 100% true.. "Know exactly what you're doing, or be prepared to pay the price..." :good:
[Moto X General] JulesJam:
There is no technical reason why you can't downgrade your bootloader. Motorola could write bootloaders that are downgradable and they have in fact done it in the past - 4.4 to 4.2.2 for instance. However, they choose to write bootloaders that can't be downgraded, just like they choose to write bootloaders that only work with certain partition tables.

No one should be fooled into thinking they can get away with a bootloader/partition table mismatch. THERE IS NO SAFE WAY TO FLASH A DIFFERENT VERSION BOOTLOADER AND PARTITION TABLE. Fastboot will either fail to flash a partition table that is a different version than your bootloader or you will brick.

---------- Post added at 05:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:54 PM ----------

This OTA to fix the 911 bug is not an OS version change - you are still on 4.4.4.. It is ridiculous to make analogies between this very focused patch and upgrades that involve an OS version change.
[Moto X General] jrredho:
And yet such a mismatch seems to me to be precisely what VZW have done with this OTA by including a gpt.bin with no apparent change to the bootloader. This is precisely what I'm trying to demonstrate. If that's wrong, then educate me from the information I've provided.

Now, I confess that all of this seems esoteric because, as you state so emphatically (and not particularly cordially), Moto are pretty particular about "perturbations" to their firmware setups. But aren't we all curious to find the real reasons why instead of just observing the symptoms?

You don't seem to have looked at that OTA zip file. The changes are quite a bit more expansive than just a simple 911 bugfix. I'll decide for myself what I find ridiculous if you don't mind.

john
[Moto X General] JulesJam:
Wrong. You are still on 4.4.4.
[Moto X General] jrredho:
I am talking about the bootloader, not version of Android. We now appear to have a bootloader with two different GPT.BIN specs.
[Moto X General] JulesJam:
So what? Both of those partition tables were written to go with the 60.11 bootloader. That isn't a mismatch.

Like I said, you can't have a bootloader/partition table mismatch. What that means since you don't seem to understand is that you cannot safely use a partition table that was meant for a different bootloader. So if your bootloader is 60.11, you have to use the partition table(s) that were written to go with the 60.11 bootloader. You should not for instance, try to use the 4.4 partition table with the 4.4.4 (60.11) bootloader. There may be instances where a BL/PT mismatch doesn't result in a brick, just like there was an instance where you could downgrade your bootloader b/t I think it was 4.4 and 4.2.2. But the general rule stands - you cannot safely have a BL/PT version mismatch.

You are confusing the real issue here and potentially misleading people. YOU SHOULD NEVER TRY TO FLASH A PARTITION TABLE THAT WAS NOT INTENDED FOR YOUR BOOTLOADER. Either the flash will fail or you will brick.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Thanks, but were you in a bricked or semi bricked state? Or is your phone working normally?

i.e. I know with a normally working phone, getvar all will pull the ro.build... values and display them properly, and that of course tell us what is on the phone at this moment. I just don't know if we can still get that output should someone brick or semi brick their phone.
[Moto X General] jrredho:
Boy! You've given me a real chance to have a good belly laugh!

How in the heck has my wondering whether or not mucking with the partition table file, GPT.BIN, is at least as responsible as messing with the bootloader for bricking devices confusing anything? I also wondered why and how that might be.

In addition, I acknowledged in a later post that Moto has evidently implemented some kind of security measures with their approved bootloader/firmware/etc combinations. I don't have a clue as to why, the extent of, or how they did that. But, if they reference specific spots on a disk for data during their security checks, it's clear that they will read bad data and they will brick your phone. This clearly occurs if you modify either the bootloader or the partition table that they create to go along with specific ROM versions. So I guess I'm agreeing with you on that!

All I'm interested in is being able to root my phone. I have my reasons for wanting this. So, generally, I'm don't think I'm at particular risk of bricking my phone, but I'd sure like to know what Moto are doing so that I don't inadvertently do something that would do that, though, so I'm interested in knowing more than just the symptoms. That was what led me to later observations and questions regarding gpt.bin.

john
[Moto X General] JulesJam:
Rooting can in fact brick if you take an OTA while rooted. You may be OK if you take an OTA while rooted, the OTA may fail or you may brick. We don't know when someone will brick taking an OTA while rooted ahead of time. We only know once the OTA drops and people who are rooted start taking it and then report back. Some times it is fine, sometimes it fails and sometimes it bricks.

But the risks of rooting is a separate issue from bootloader/partition table mismatches so why you are bringing this up to me in reply to my post about BL/PT mismatches, idk. It is like you want to save face after being shown you were wrong only it didn't work.
[Moto X General] gwallers:
So i have not used my X in a while. XT1060 Dev VZW. I decided to get it ready for 5.1 and I downgraded to 4.4 and after I took the ota update it bricked. Now all i have is DHSUSB_DLOAD when I plug it in. I tried the MSM8960 blankflash but havent had any luck getting to the fastboot. The blankflash says it works but never gets to fastboot. Is my phone just wasted or are there options to get this fixed. Before you fuss at me I do know now the warnings and problems of downgrading. I have been on the X2 and Nexus 6 for a while and thought since I had the developer edition I could do whatever and still get back to where I needed to be. Guess I learned a lesson. Any thoughts are appreciated

thanks
[Moto X General] Cristian314:
Motorola XT1053

When I first bought my phone it came with México's Nextel firmware, I unlocked the bootloader and then flashed T-Mobile firmware for 4.4.4. Recently I rooted and installed TWRP and also a custom recovery based on cm12 that didn't upgrade the bootloader. I have version 30.B7. If I want to return to stock though, would flashing any firmware for the XT1053 technically work considering I have an unlocked bootloader? For example would flashing the stock firmware for T-Mobile be a problem? Do I have to flash the original stock firmware(Nextel)?

Thanks I'm advance and great post
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
See Items # 3, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 16 in the first post.

As for the rom... I don't have it. There is a link in my signature for a thread which contains several sites to check.
[Moto X General] Cristian314:
I have both the roms, but I was asking if it matters which rom I flash, so I have to flash the original it came with out of the box or will flashing any for the XT1053 will do like the T-MOBILE variant
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
I know what you meant.

Notice the bold highlight.

And I apologize, maybe I should have pointed you at this post -> http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=59550763&postcount=9 explaining that we've see the GPT.BIN and MOTOBoot.img parts vary between different ROMs of the same Android Version... (it basically expands on item #3 in the first post, which I forgot to ask you to look at).

So You had Nextel Mexico XT1053 4.4.4 on there, but want to flash T-Mobile XT1053 4.4.4... it depends on the build and gpt.bin and motoboot.img parts. So if the build number on the T-Mobile 4.4.4 you want to flash is higher, then you should be alright... but you might run into problems if you ever want to flash back to the Nextel rom.
[Moto X General] Cristian314:
I see, we'll I doubt I'll return back to Nextel, the updates are really slow and since I've the had the Moto G, I've been flashing the T-MOBILE firmware. But it's good to know, thanks for your help and there's probably a good chance that the X1 isn't going to get any more updates so after that it's just custom roms
[Moto X General] aaronbaird1:
still confused

I've read through every post in this thread and I'm still confused about one thing.

If i have a TWRP backup of stock 4.4.4 (saved on my PC), and I OTA upgrade to 5.1, can I install TWRP and restore 4.4.4? Can i switch back and forth between them?
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Once you take the OTA to 5.1, you'll have the GPT.BIN and Bootloader and other parts of 5.1.

If you use TWRP to restore 4.4.4, you'll have a version mismatch.. so while I wouldn't expect it to brick you when you restore, I would expect it to not be stable, and to have some extra bugs and issues you didn't see before.. Not to mention, since you'll be on 4.4.4, you'll be prompted for the 5.1 OTA... and if you take it, you'll brick.
[Moto X General] aaronbaird1:
Thanks for the reply. That's a bummer. So the move to 5.1 is a permanent one.... what could motorola's reason for this possibly be? I came from the moto G and could swap back and forth between roms no problem, or so it seemed. :confused:
[Moto X General] chaoslimits:
4.4.4 > 4.2.2 is incredibly unstable and I imagine 5.1 > 4.4.4 will also be a bad experience. It's unfortunate especially for a Dev Edition device...
[Moto X General] toroloco73:
downgrading from lollipop to kk maintains new bootloader?
[Moto X General] hbenz2008:
can only downgrade from lolipop to kk by not flashing down bootloader and mboot.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Please see #16 in the first post.

You can not downgrade the bootloader (which is part of motoboot.img), nor can you downgrade the partition table (GPT.BIN).

Once you have fully flashed Lollipop OTA (or SBF when they come) on to your phone, and have the lollipop GPT and components of motoboot.img, any attempts to flash KitKat will fail on those components... most of the time the failure will either cause an immediate brick, or other issues (as explained in Post #1 of this thread). On rare occasions, the phone will survive for now.
[Moto X General] lucasfais:
Hey KidJoe, I just want to say Thank You for this thread. I already clicked at thanks button too.

I updated my Moto X 2013 to 5.1 through official OTA last week after a long time waiting for it. Is it good? No, it's bad.

First, unusable phone: completely laggy, wifi issues and poor battery life.

As suggested and unhappy, I did a factory reset. Imagine: "Updating your Linux or OS X? So, you need to format it to keep it usable". Unacceptable.

After the factory reset, it's not laggy anymore, but some wifi issues and the POOR battery life stays due this problem reported everywhere: https://code.google.com/p/android/i... Owner Summary Stars&groupby=&sort=&id=165558

This bug affects all Lollipop versions and phones. Some users reported it's present in Android M preview too.

Let's think about it:

The workflow to rollout a Android update is really bad, even for Motorola phones: Google -> Nexus -> Motorola -> Phones. Not to mention many phases this can take like SOAK, Test, roll-out for Nexus tablets, after Nexus phones, Moto G/E, Moto X 2014... Moto X 2013.

Could be months, could be a year and could not happens as well.

Now I discover (thanks to you) that I can't do a downgrade to KitKat safely. Oh man, this is really bad.

I'm a software engineer and I know if you have a politic to not Downgrade/Rollback software, you NEED to have a GREAT, FAST and RELIABLE update workflow. That's why I'm so disappointed with Google and Motorola right now.

A really good phone was taken from me last week :/

Doesn't is Android open? Couldn't you do whatever you want with you phone? Bull****.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
I'm sorry to say that while the CORE Android OS might be open source.. the PHONES themselves, and what the phone makers do/add to Android (proprietary bits) are not.

If they were, we'd have unlocked boot loaders, ability to turn off all security checks, upgrade and downgrade at will, WITHOUT having to resort to hacks to do so...
[Moto X General] Kustaa:
And I'm just about upgrading manually to the brazilian SBF :/...now I've doubts...
[Moto X General] lucasfais:
Lollipop has some great features/design. However, battery life is really bad. Sadly, you will need to make a choice.

The ironic part is that when Lollipop was announced Google claimed it would give a big improvement to battery due the "Project Volta".
[Moto X General] sunscape:
It is better for the most part, but the bugs fixed by Google take too much time to filter over to Verizon* phones.

*carrier controlled phones.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
It depends on the ROM and Phone.

Early in its life, it was clear that Moto was taking a rotational release schedule with the different 2013 X variants... Verizon first this time, T-Mobile first next, ATT first next time, etc...

After Moto had been sold to Lenovo, and its size reduced, its not the same company, and this has had an impact on updates for all its phones, even non-carrier branded.
[Moto X General] Ishaan Gupta:
[MENTION=1165307]KidJoe[/MENTION]

I have a XT1052 retail Asia moto x. I had got official ota to lollipop 5.1. I have flashed cm. But now i want to go back to stock. Since the sbf files for my phone is not available yet, is there any way to go back? I do have the ota zip. People in other threads suggested that I should flash the 4.4.4 sbf,(which is available) and the flash ota zip through stock recovery. Is this safe it do?

If not, is there any other way to go back to stock? The kitkat sbf for retail Asia took more than 4 months after the sbf for other models arrived. I don't feel the lollipop sbf will come out soon(if ever).
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
So you were stock on the Asia Retail XT1052 4.4.4, got the OTA for 5.1 and installed it, then flashed CM, and want to go back to stock?

If that is correct, there is no 100% safe return to stock unless you have the SBF file of the 5.1 version which was on your phone.

You can listen to others who will tell you its safe to flash 4.4.4, then take the 5.1 OTA again, and while you might be successful, you have an equal or greater chance you will brick (a few of the links in the OP are XT1052 users who bricked). Its your phone, you can follow what you want.

*IF* before installing CM, you did a backup using TWRP, you could restore that. Or if you can find someone with an XT1052 that is Stock Retail 5.1, you could have them wipe/factory reset, then backup with TWRP and send you the backup file so you can restore it to your phone. CM usually only touches System and Boot partitions of the phone.
[Moto X General] Ishaan Gupta:
I think I have seen twrp backups for xt1052 floating around. I will try it. Another thing, does restoring from the twrp back restore the boot logo? I flashed a boot logo.zip and its stuck there even after clean flashing again.

Then only modification will be the custom recovery?

I need to give my phone for warranty purpose. They don't mind the unlocked bootloader but they won't repair any phone with modifications.
[Moto X General] KidJoe:
Logo.bin is a part that is usually not included with a TWRP backup. You'd have to flash that yourself. If you flash a STOCK Logo.bin file you'll get the bootloader unlock warning.

Correct, TWRP wont backup/restore a stock recovery. You overwite stock recovery when installing TWRP, so it can't back it up, so therefore there is nothing to restore.

But now we are starting to get into things that are way off topic for this thread about the risks of downgrading... so if you have further questions on how to fix your phone, please start a new thread
[Moto X General] EmptyArea:
Hi [MENTION=1165307]KidJoe[/MENTION], thanks for all your posts; I've been having issues with my GFs XT1060 and figured I'd ask you for your thoughts (though I can guess them!).

Long story short: got given a XT1060 with an unlock bootloader, but which someone (I swear not me) annoyingly upgraded to 5.1, bootloader and all (.BE I think, I'll check when she wakes).

As it is, the phone appears to fully work, except it has no imei, and so no voice calls (3g & LTE work fine). Under advice, I tried flashing a few different modems (Verizon 4.4.4, TM 5.1), and made many changes to the build.prop to no avail.

I guess that my best option is to tell her to be patient and wait for the vzw 5.1 release, but having no confirmed date is disappointing. Alternatively I imagine I can try flashing the Verizon 4.4.4 spf, all except the partition and bootloader, but that it could cause a brick with no confirmed solution to occur if the phone ever got updated again. (Saw a few threads you linked with people getting blackout during an upgrade after a downgrade, and suggestions to hold the power down for 2mins, but never saw anyone say whether it worked or not.)

Ultimately all I want are calls back (I live in the UK, lots of advice to change the build.prop, and then I saw somewhere the stock Verizon modem and build.prop will work with any GSM network outside of central America.). I would also prefer to be on CM than stock.

Thanks for your time.