[Xiaomi Redmi 5 Questions & Answers] incertam7:
So, I recently tried to root my Redmi 5 phone and install Lineage OS into it. This is my first time doing it, so I believe I may not have understood the words I had been reading well. Due to this, I'll try to be as descriptive as possible with the actions I had taken that led to my device being stuck.

I had followed this guide, for the most part: https://www.getdroidtips.com/lineage-os-17-xiaomi-redmi-5/

As per the guide, I performed the following actions:

Enabled the developer options

Registered my device to my Mi account

Enabled USB debugging, OEM unlocking

Rebooted in fastboot mode using the ADB tools through CMD (adb reboot bootloader)

While in fastboot mode, I used the Mi Unlock tool to unlock my device.

As per my understanding, these steps would unlock the bootloader. I rebooted my device, set it up (the phone behaves as if freshly booted) and checked the settings menu after enabling developer options again. It shows the bootloader is already unlocked and that Mi Account status is also unlocked. I enabled the USB debugging options again and carried on with the guide.

I then downloaded the rosy TWRP file (version 3.5, I think).

I even downloaded GApps and Lineage 18.1 OS

I tried to copy the above files into my Redmi 5 internal storage

The Lineage and GApps file failed to copy, but I was able to copy the TWRP file

One thing to note here, I am not sure if my USB cable is faulty or if my phone's micro USB port is faulty or if my laptop's USB ports are faulty. When the phone is connected to my PC, it is extremely lousy. If I shake the cable even a bit, it disconnects and reconnects. When I try to use the file explorer to copy the files from my laptop to the android phone, it usually fails for large files or large quantities of small files. I believe this was the reason behind the failure. Nonetheless, I decided to do the TWRP part first.

The guide said to reboot in recovery mode and that would take me to TWRP recovery mode. Well, it did not! It took me to a menu that had the following options:

Reboot

Reboot to System

Back to Main Menu

Wipe Data

Wipe All Data

Back to Main Menu

Connect to MIAssistant

I assumed I had entered recovery mode incorrectly, so I followed the link in the guide on how to enter recovery mode. It suggested using the ADB tools.

I used the command: adb reboot recovery

It did the same thing that I had done. So, I assumed that that is the recovery mode, but I am unable to enter TWRP recovery mode. There was another link that would show me how to do this.

I followed that link and downloaded the files that was mentioned. However, the guide tells little to nothing on what to do with these files. The only file that was used was the rosy twrp file.

I enabled the USB debugging mode on my phone.

Opened CMD from the folder with ADB

Entered the command: adb reboot bootloader

Phone enters fastboot mode

Entered the command: fastboot devices

I can see that a device is connected

Entered the command: fastboot flash recovery rosy-3-5.img (I renamed it for convenience, I believe that was allowed because every website had different name for their file)

I then rebooted into recovery mode by first rebooting it normally: fastboot reboot

Then entering the command: adb reboot recovery

It still showed the same old recovery menu. Nothing had changed. I looked around the internet and found that I could boot with the TWRP image by entering the command: fastboot boot rosy-3-5.img

This opened the screen that I was expecting, but it did not open the chinese menu at all. It directly went to the screen that had options such as Install, Wipe, etc.,

I rebooted normally and then tried to transfer the GApps file and Lineage file into my phone. As usual, it was failing. I tried to use the adb push command and it still failed but with an error saying "permissions denied"

At this point, I looked up how to get root permissions and I learnt that I had to root my device. I looked up how to root with Magisk and SuperSU. The guides all required me to boot in TWRP recovery and then install the files from my phone. Unable to transfer the files to my phone, I uploaded the files to my google drive, and manually downloaded into my phone. I boot up rosy (TWRP recovery, or so I think) using ADB tools. Unfortunately, it does not recognize any of the files in my internal storage. Everything is empty.

Defeated by this, I decided to let it go. I had a factory reset Redmi 5 at the time. I then watched a video that showed how to root with Magisk, but wasn't specific to Redmi 5, it was a generic video for android devices.

I installed the magisk manager apk into my android phone.

Then I copied the boot.img file from the Lineage folder into my android device. Despite the OS being 600 MB large, the boot.img file was only 11 MB.

Anyway, I patched the boot.img file using magisk manager.

It created a file called magisk-patched_1pTOD.img (I'm a bit unsure of the name, but it was similar to that).

The video said that I should copy this file into my laptop and then reboot my phone into fastboot.

Once in fastboot, I had to enter the command: fastboot flash boot magisk-patched_1pTOD.img

I believed that this would root my device and grant me root access. I don't know what my actions were actually supposed to do, but my device is unusable for all intents and purposes. I rebooted the device and it shows the Mi logo for a brief moment and there's no light. An empty dark screen, it's not even a black screen. It's like the display fails to work. I can switch into recovery mode and into fastboot mode but normal reboot did the same.

Thinking that I bricked my phone, I tried to unbrick it.

I downloaded the fastboot rom for Redmi 5 rosy and then installed the Mi Flash tool along with the drivers for it.

I then selected the correct ROM folder (it kept showing up as can't find flash script until I was in the right folder for it)

Rebooted my phone into fastboot mode

Hit refresh on the Mi Flash tool

It showed my device

I chose Clean All option

I hit flash

It goes up till 97%-ish and then fails with an error saying "flash system error".

However, I noticed that now, I can see that the Mi Logo doesn't disappear now. I can still go into recovery mode and fastboot mode, but normal reboot takes me to the permanent Mi Logo Screen. I cannot even shut it down. It auto reboots to the Mi Logo Screen if I do so.

I connected my device to my laptop and then opened the ADB tools.

I entered the following command to see if it's recognized by adb:

adb devices

It did not. I then switched to fastboot mode manually by pressing the Vol Down and Power buttons.

Then entered the following to see if it is recognized in fastboot mode:

fastboot devices

It showed my device there. So I used the following command to reboot and see if it is recognized in fastboot again:

fastboot reboot

While it shows the Mi Logo screen, I typed the command:

fastboot devices

It still shows my device.

I concluded that my device is in an infinite fastboot loop. I cannot boot it up normally. I cannot flash the Redmi 5 ROM into it either. I cannot use my phone.

If anybody has actually gone through this entire mess that I made, and has figured out what went wrong or at least how to fix it, please help me.