Root Nexus 4 wont boot to bootloader/recovery after bootloop even with h/w button combos! Please Help!

[sriksm]

Hi

Nexus 4 wont boot to bootloader/recovery after bootloop even with h/w button combos. Heres what happened:

It was a rooted and unlocked phone running 4.4.4. It couldnt update via OTA. So i thought of unrooting + flashing the stock but with the latest lmy48m using WUG's Nexus Root toolkit. After installation it went on to boot (4 dots flying) . It went on for 10 minutes and thought that it went to bootloop again( ive tried similar things on it before and waited for a night etc. ) . So i tried the hardware button combination (power off then Vol - & Power button combo for bootloader mode and Vol + & - & Power) to go to bootloader/recovery mode but all it does is get to the Google boot screen and go to the bootloop mode. . Then i left it to boot again overnight and its still the same.. I tried a lot of times to get to the bootloader mode and recovery mode with no hope. My pc doesnt recognise in fastboot or adb since then.. Just as MTP device in boot or android device when charging. Searched through a lot of forums but nothing worked.. Tried to remove the back cover and then pressing the button combos - still the same.. What to do next?

Please Help!

Thanks
Sriksm

 

[scary alien]

Hey Sriksm,

Don't know if this will help, but my Nexus 7 (2012) won't properly go into bootloader (fastboot) mode while connected with a USB cable. So if you've got it connected when using the button combinations, try doing it while unplugged.

Also, if you want, I can move this thread over to the Nexus 4 area for you so others that have this device can chime-in and give you suggestions--let us know.

Cheers!

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

Hey Sriksm,

Don't know if this will help, but my Nexus 7 (2012) won't properly go into bootloader (fastboot) mode while connected with a USB cable. So if you've got it connected when using the button combinations, try doing it while unplugged.

Also, if you want, I can move this thread over to the Nexus 4 area for you so others that have this device can chime-in and give you suggestions--let us know.

Cheers!

I tried that as well.. still the same..

yeah sure you can move it

Thanks..

 

[scary alien]

I tried that as well.. still the same..

yeah sure you can move it

Thanks..

Done! Best of luck...

 

[lunatic59]

So it doesn't boot at all now? Just hangs on the swirling dots?

My guess is you interrupted the process when you thought it was hung up after 10 minutes. While 10 minutes feels like forever, it can take that long on first boot with 5.x.

So, here's what I'd try. First, unplug the phone from everything. Press and hold the power button until you see the Google splash screen. Then release, wait a few seconds and then press and hold the power button until the phone shuts off. Let it sit for a minute to make sure it's off and not going to try and boot again.

Now, press an hold the volume down key first and then press and hold the power button until the phone comes on and then keep holding them until you see the fastboot menu. If you don't i suspect you have a bad volume rocker.

While I have used WUG's in the past, I've recently decided to simply flash my Nexii directly with fastboot. If you can get into fastboot mode, then I'd give that a try with the factory firmware. And don't forget to check that MD5 checksum on the download. I know I've skipped over that in the past and it's playing with fire, if you have a corrupted download.

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

So it doesn't boot at all now? Just hangs on the swirling dots?

My guess is you interrupted the process when you thought it was hung up after 10 minutes. While 10 minutes feels like forever, it can take that long on first boot with 5.x.

So, here's what I'd try. First, unplug the phone from everything. Press and hold the power button until you see the Google splash screen. Then release, wait a few seconds and then press and hold the power button until the phone shuts off. Let it sit for a minute to make sure it's off and not going to try and boot again.

Now, press an hold the volume down key first and then press and hold the power button until the phone comes on and then keep holding them until you see the fastboot menu. If you don't i suspect you have a bad volume rocker.

While I have used WUG's in the past, I've recently decided to simply flash my Nexii directly with fastboot. If you can get into fastboot mode, then I'd give that a try with the factory firmware. And don't forget to check that MD5 checksum on the download. I know I've skipped over that in the past and it's playing with fire, if you have a corrupted download.

yep hangs on the swirling dots. let me try that and get back to you..

Thanks

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

tried the steps but didnt get the fastboot menu. switched off the way u said n tried turning on with Vol - plus Power button (latter pressed later) . got the google screen which vanished soon.. kept pressing and still nothing happened

 

[lunatic59]

Okay, try it again, but this time with the phone off, press and hold the power + volume down until you see the Google screen and then release the power button, but keep holding the volume button.

Also, try this procedure again, this time press and hold BOTH volume buttons + power.

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

nope.. no luck

 

[scary alien]

Perhaps one of the buttons (volume toggles) are actually broken or non-functional?

 

[scary alien]

Also, if you let it try to boot-up in "normal" Android, perhaps it will get far enough along so the adb daemon is running on the device and you could do an "adb reboot-bootloader"?

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

it was working though. i hope not .

I did a full wipe so i guess adb wont work since debugging is disabled by default

 

[lunatic59]

I'm running out of ideas here.

A few other things that *might* be happening are dirty contacts on the vol. down button and/or a short in the USB port (making the device think it's plugged in when it's not). You said you removed the back? Can you make sure there isn't any dirt or misaligned parts at the rocker switch?

You've mentioned a bootloop, but if I hear you correctly, it doesn't continually reboot but gets stuck on the swirling dots and just stay there. After 15 minutes or so, does the phone get hot?

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

yeah i removed the back cover and then tried pressing the buttons as well before .. by bootloop i meant that it gets stuck on the swirling dots. let me try again for 15 minutes

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

i kept it for more than 15 minutes.. . it does heat up near the top, around the camera area..

 

[lunatic59]

Okay, well at least that tells me that it is draining power. There is one more thing you can try, but just so you know, each suggestion has a much smaller chance of working. Let the phone boot and leave it swirling, unplugged until the battery completely drains. If it's getting warm, then that should happen in less than 6 hours. Once it is off, let it sit for a few more hours before charging. This is in case something in active memory is not getting flushed and preventing the phone from completing the boot process. For this to work, you really do need to let the battery drain beyond the threshold of maintaining active memory, which is pretty low. Alternately, if you've got the phone open already, you could disconnect the battery (is it soldered in the Nexus 4? I've never opened mine.) and let it sit disconnected for a few hours.

If that fails, i have to go back to an earlier analysis that the volume down button is not working (or the equally problematic, that the bootloader firmware is corrupt.)

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

Okay, well at least that tells me that it is draining power. There is one more thing you can try, but just so you know, each suggestion has a much smaller chance of working. Let the phone boot and leave it swirling, unplugged until the battery completely drains. If it's getting warm, then that should happen in less than 6 hours. Once it is off, let it sit for a few more hours before charging. This is in case something in active memory is not getting flushed and preventing the phone from completing the boot process. For this to work, you really do need to let the battery drain beyond the threshold of maintaining active memory, which is pretty low. Alternately, if you've got the phone open already, you could disconnect the battery (is it soldered in the Nexus 4? I've never opened mine.) and let it sit disconnected for a few hours.

If that fails, i have to go back to an earlier analysis that the volume down button is not working (or the equally problematic, that the bootloader firmware is corrupt.)

Ok.. I shall try that and tell you.. Thanks for your help man! ..
No its not soldered.. attached via 2 screws

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

Hey. Tried that. Disconnected the battery as well. It still didn't work :'( . I guess I have a faulty vol btn

 

[lunatic59]

Bummer. FWIW, I tried my N4 and vol down + power takes it right into the bootloader menu. Sorry.

 

[Srikanth Sethumadhavan]

Bummer. FWIW, I tried my N4 and vol down + power takes it right into the bootloader menu. Sorry.

Thanks everyone! Would get back soon after repair