[Sprint HTC One (M7)] demonblod:
My friend asked if I could help him with this old HTC One M7.

He bought it about 2 years ago from some guy who had paid someone to flash some slick ROM on it. It is a world phone (I think?) but it was really wonky on AT&T's network.

DON'T ASK WHY. OR HOW. IT DOESN'T MATTER

Long story short, my friend said he managed to "wipe all data" as a mistake, in efforts to clear the settings/cache to hopefully have it work more successfully on AT&T networks.

Well...he wiped the entire OS somehow.

So he gives me this phone that is literally the worst hard brick I've ever seen. Once upon a time, I was very proficient with the software manipulation of the early Samsung Galaxy phones. My Captivate would have a new ROM every week. Same for the Skyrocket (SII) and S3. Kinda stopped caring when I got my S5 as I deduced that rooting and flashing wasn't really a thing anymore (or worth it at least) . I've gone so far as to "hard brick" my Captivate several times just fooling around and learning by experimentation that I made several trips to radio shack to buy the little resistors to make *the jig*.

This HTC is really kicking my ass up and down the court. It's like playing whack-a-mole. I've literally sat down every night for the past ~2 weeks and put in a solid 45-60 minutes googling and trying different solutions found on XDA and other forums. Every time I make a step forward, it's just another 'brick' wall.

Facts to offer:

When I enter HBOOT (is that what it's called?) it shows data:

M7_WLS PVT SHIP S-OFF RH

CID-SPCS_001

HBOOT-1.44.0000

RADIO-1.00.20.0315

OpenDSP-v26.120.274.0202

eMMC-boot

May 8 2013, 16:30:08:22086

gives options for fastboot, recovery, factory reset, simlock, image CRC, show barcode

So I go into recovery. It loads up with TWRP v2.6.3.0

Won't mount to computer. Okay. Won't access files through file manage. Expected. Sideloader works...kinda.

So, I've been trying about every .zip file I can find in the "help me naooo" forums for this phone.

Through the CID-SPCS_001 thingy, I determined it's a Sprint phone originally. So I stopped trying to shove the square peg of an AT&T RUU into the circular hole of this phone that's *%&@ing me. I then found "RUU_M7_WLS_JB_50_Sprint_1.29.651.7". I also found some other firmwares to try. Can't remember the names of the files or where I got them since the guide I was following said to change to "firmware" to make easier to sideload. I remember finding one .zip that was described as the "catch-all solution answer to all your problems" zip. I tried that, but it required the phone to have more than 30% battery. Even though it said 100% battery in recovery, it kept failing the 30% test.

So, here's the catch. Every time I find a "ahhhh...that's my problem" new .zip solution, the phone won't accept it.

Every time I try to flash something, it results in

Updating partition details...

E:/ Storage Partition '//TWRP/BACKUPS/HT36YS9A014

Installing /'sdcard/sideload.zip' (firmware is not named sideload.zp fyi)

Checking for MD5 file...

Skipping MD5 check: no MD5 file found.

Error flashing zip '/sdcard/sideload.zip'

Updating partition details...

and says "Failed" in red letters below the dialog box.

lather, rinse, and repeat.

I put an updated superSU file on the phone, that someone recommended as a solution to remedy old TWRP.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2592923 post #4

Got the file on the phone. Successfully flashed. But I am pretty sure this phone won't go into fastboot. When I go into the fastboot menu and do "adb devices" on commandprompt, nothing shows up, and I can't do the fastboot commands. At this point, my computer pops up with a "USB device not recognized" message. YES- I do have the HTC drivers installed from HTC's website, and YES I did uninstall the thingy I needed to uninstall.

What can I do next?