Root Messed up root - please help

[stardog32]

Hi all. I've had quite a few problems whilst rooting & trying to install cyanogen on a 2nd hand desire. Now I'm worried I have a dead phone. Hope someone can help.

After rooting the phone using Revolutionary, it would not start up. At hboot a message appeared that the PB99IMG nbh file was missing. I could get into recovery, where I installed the 'update.zip' for cyanogenmod. After booting again and seeing the cyanogenmod 7 logo I thought my problems would be over, however then the phone went back to the white 'HTC' screen and would not start up.

After this I could not even get into recovery anymore it just went to a white HTC screen.

I have just attempted flashing the HTC Desire 2.3 Update RUU. It failed, and on my phone there was a green 'pass' next to each line apart from the first which said 'radio v2 "fail - pu"'

Now when I start the phone I get a black HTC screen with warning triangles in all 4 corners. I cannot even start up to HBOOT screen anymore. I tried the RUU again with the same result. Have no idea what to do now

 

[Prinny]

Hi there! Sorry to hear the issues. Can you still get into the bootloader? If so, download a recovery.img like CWM for your phone (make sure its the one that would be for YOUR phone, don't grab some random one.)

Then I hope you have the ADB tools installed like fastboot? If so, put the recovery.img in there with fastboot.

Then type

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Then go into recovery!

Then flash whatever you need for the CM ROM. You MIGHT need to flash the full ROM, instead of just an update.zip. I could be mistaken, though. I've never owned a desire, but I know I've messed up multiple times, and this has gotten me back on track!

 

[stardog32]

Hi there! Sorry to hear the issues. Can you still get into the bootloader? If so, download a recovery.img like CWM for your phone (make sure its the one that would be for YOUR phone, don't grab some random one.)

Then I hope you have the ADB tools installed like fastboot? If so, put the recovery.img in there with fastboot.

Then type

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Then go into recovery!

Then flash whatever you need for the CM ROM. You MIGHT need to flash the full ROM, instead of just an update.zip. I could be mistaken, though. I've never owned a desire, but I know I've messed up multiple times, and this has gotten me back on track!

Hi, thanks for your reply. I can't get into anything now, I just get the black HTC screen when I switch on. I can run the HTC RUU again (it fails) but can't do anything else on the phone.

I'm not even too bothered about installing CM anymore, just want to get my phone working again!

 

[Prinny]

Hi, thanks for your reply. I can't get into anything now, I just get the black HTC screen when I switch on. I can run the HTC RUU again (it fails) but can't do anything else on the phone.

I'm not even too bothered about installing CM anymore, just want to get my phone working again!

okay, well...let me see here...


Do you have fastboot and whatnot on your computer? If so...Go to Start > Run > type "%temp%" and push enter. Run the RUU while that's open, and find the rom.zip.

Copy that to your fastboot directory.

Then try this:

fastboot flash zip rom.zip

 

[Hadron]

Hi stardog, and welcome to AF,

For info, that message about not finding a PB99IMG.zip file is absolutely normal. In fact there's a good chance we could have solved your boot problem after flashing the ROM very simply. However, it's going to be touch and go now.

The problem is the failure of the radio flash when you ran the RUU. That is one of two absolutely critical components (hboot being the other). We need to fix that to stand any chance.

Generally I'd say try the RUU again. Sometimes people have had success after letting the phone cool before doing this.

Prinny has given me one crazy idea if that doesn't work. If the phone does respond to fastboot you could try to fastboot flash the radio separately. If you can get to the point where you can flash a recovery and get into it then you are home.

The problem is that a bad radio flash, as you have here, is usually terminal. Can but try.

Other problem is that I have to go offline for a few hours now, so can't advise in detail now. Will be back later.

 

[Hadron]

Hi again,

Just realised there is another option: you could try a different RUU.

Normally you couldn't do this after running the 2.3 RUU, but as you've run Revolutionary, and the RUU won't have undone that, I think this might still work.

 

[stardog32]

Thankyou! I did as Hadron suggested - let the phone cool down and tried running the RUU again - it worked

However now I can't start the phone. It vibrates with the HTC logo, screen goes off and this repeats again and again :/

If I try to start into recovery, same thing happens. Although I can get to the bootloader screen now, the problem is the same as before.

Any ideas?

 

[Prinny]

Hmm...Run the RUU...open your temp directory before you do like I mentioned...find the rom.zip file that comes in. Then copy it to your directory where fastboot is.

Then in command prompt type:

fastboot oem rebootRUU

Let it boot to the black HTC screen.

Then:

fastboot flash zip rom.zip

OR....

Get the rom.zip the way I told you. Rename it to PB99IMG.zip

Get it onto your SD card via a card reader.

Reboot into bootloader.

It should flash it.

 

[stardog32]

Hmm...Run the RUU...open your temp directory before you do like I mentioned...find the rom.zip file that comes in. Then copy it to your directory where fastboot is.

Then in command prompt type:

fastboot oem rebootRUU

Let it boot to the black HTC screen.

Then:

fastboot flash zip rom.zip

OR....

Get the rom.zip the way I told you. Rename it to PB99IMG.zip

Get it onto your SD card via a card reader.

Reboot into bootloader.

It should flash it.

The 2nd method did work, but it still will not boot up just stays stuck on the HTC screen, screen turns off and on again etc....

 

[Prinny]

Try the first method, its how I did mine earlier today.

 

[stardog32]

Hmm...Run the RUU...open your temp directory before you do like I mentioned...find the rom.zip file that comes in. Then copy it to your directory where fastboot is.

Then in command prompt type:

fastboot oem rebootRUU

Let it boot to the black HTC screen.

Then:

fastboot flash zip rom.zip
.

The first part worked, tried the 2nd part and it says 'cannot open rom.zip'. I extracted rom.zip to the root 'C:\Android' folder.

 

[Prinny]

The first part worked, tried the 2nd part and it says 'cannot open rom.zip'. I extracted rom.zip to the root 'C:\Android' folder.

Leave it as a zip, and put it in the platform-tools folder. That's where fastboot is located.

 

[stardog32]

Leave it as a zip, and put it in the platform-tools folder. That's where fastboot is located.

I must have a different version I don't have that folder...I'm actually a total novice at all this I'm getting my info from google searches etc. but that is to apply the same update right? I'm going to try reinstalling through the RUU .exe for now, as the last step uninstalled it.

Do I need to un-root the phone, is that why I'm getting stuck at the boot up screen?

 

[Prinny]

You shouldn't have to unroot it. Where is fastboot? is it in C:\Android? If so leave the zip there. Don't extract the zip, leave it as a zip. Just copy it there as a rom.zip file.

 

[stardog32]

You shouldn't have to unroot it. Where is fastboot? is it in C:\Android? If so leave the zip there. Don't extract the zip, leave it as a zip. Just copy it there as a rom.zip file.

Hi fastboot.exe is in C:\Android, I left the rom.zip there (150mb, unchanged) but cmd prompt came up with the 'cannot open zip file' error. I've just managed to reinstall RUU using the software but am still getting stuck at HTC logo (logo appears & phone vibrates, switches off, onto the logo again. Sometimes it vibrates 6 times, then repeats) same if I try to go into recovery.

If anyone has any tips what else I could try I'd really appreciate it.

 

[stardog32]

You shouldn't have to unroot it. Where is fastboot? is it in C:\Android? If so leave the zip there. Don't extract the zip, leave it as a zip. Just copy it there as a rom.zip file.

Managed to do this when I elevated the cmd prompt to the folder. But still the phone won't boot and I can't get into recovery

 

[Hadron]

OK, let's check the status. If you shut the phone down (battery pull I guess) and then boot it while holding down the "volume down" key that should get you into hboot. What does it say at the top of the screen? I'm hoping for "revolutionary" and "S-Off", but do tell us the PVT number as well.

If you have that, you can try selecting recovery, but my guess is that you'll get a black screen with a red triangle on it. That's the stock HTC recovery, which is useless.

If it all goes as I described above, you can then go back into hboot and select "fastboot" (or just boot while pressing the "back" button, which will take you straight into fastboot mode). From there you should be able to fastboot flash recovery as described in the guide to rooting with Revolutionary here. What recovery did you flash the first time?

Once you have recovery installed we can fix up a working ROM. Though TBH it is a little strange that it isn't booting after running the RUU...

 

[stardog32]

OK, let's check the status. If you shut the phone down (battery pull I guess) and then boot it while holding down the "volume down" key that should get you into hboot. What does it say at the top of the screen? I'm hoping for "revolutionary" and "S-Off", but do tell us the PVT number as well.

If you have that, you can try selecting recovery, but my guess is that you'll get a black screen with a red triangle on it. That's the stock HTC recovery, which is useless.

If it all goes as I described above, you can then go back into hboot and select "fastboot" (or just boot while pressing the "back" button, which will take you straight into fastboot mode). From there you should be able to fastboot flash recovery as described in the guide to rooting with Revolutionary here. What recovery did you flash the first time?

Once you have recovery installed we can fix up a working ROM. Though TBH it is a little strange that it isn't booting after running the RUU...

In sheer desparation I flashed the Alpharev downgrader as I saw mentioned in another thread, then reinstalled the RUU. But it hasn't solved the problem I'm still getting the boot screen loop. Also I have flashed clockworkmod recovery, but when I click 'recovery' in hboot I just get the same boot screen loop as if I'm switching it on...

This is what I see at the top of hboot-

Alpha Rev Unlock
BRAVO PVT1 SHIP S-OFF

 

[Hadron]

Were there any error messages when you ran the RUU? Because the "downgrader" should be replaced with a stock hboot by the RUU, and that clearly has not been.

To be honest I'd suggest flashing alpharev bravo stock (which apart from the name should be the same as the revolutionary hboot). There's nothing to lose by having that, and replacing it with a stock hboot will leave you with fewer options if things still don't work (you will lose the ability to fastboot flash recovery, for example).

Which clockworkmod did you flash?

 

[stardog32]

Were there any error messages when you ran the RUU? Because the "downgrader" should be replaced with a stock hboot by the RUU, and that clearly has not been.

To be honest I'd suggest flashing alpharev bravo stock (which apart from the name should be the same as the revolutionary hboot). There's nothing to lose by having that, and replacing it with a stock hboot will leave you with fewer options if things still don't work (you will lose the ability to fastboot flash recovery, for example).

Which clockworkmod did you flash?

Ok I flashed the alpharev stock file, also good news - after letting the phone cool down a bit, I was able to start into recovery! must be a good sign.

I did the system reset, although it is still stuck in a boot loop when I switch the phone on. What else do you think I could try now to get my phone up and running?

 

[Hadron]

I'm a touch concerned that cooling makes such a difference. Some PVT1 handsets were prone to overheating.

If you have hboot and recovery, and have cleared data (factory reset from recovery) but the phone isn't booting that suggests the ROM. Try flashing a simple ROM (CM7 might do, or dGB which you can find linked from a thread in this forum - nothing that requires an SD partition to work) and see whether it will work then. You can mount the sd from recovery - mounts and storage menu - to copy a ROM zip onto it.

If it's being tempermental I'd avoid RUUs unless forced to, because they reflash the radio as well and that can be dangerous.

 

[stardog32]

Thanks for all the replies. I realised there is an issue with the phone which had nothing to do with me rooting it. When I let the phone cool overnight it started up just fine.

Have now returned the phone to the ebay seller I bought it from and am going to get another Desire.

Is there much improvement in battery life, and speed by changing to CM7? if not I might just stick with sense this time.

 

[Hadron]

Speed, yes. To get the best battery life from CM7 you might want to do some further tweaking.

There are other custom ROMs which are better for battery. Oxygen, or the MildWild ROM based on it, Redux & dGB come to mind.