Help Stuck in Fastboot - won't unlock. won't recover

[Tudorman]

Hi All,
I should begin by saying that the world of phone unlocking and general hacking is new to me and I am trying to learn out of necessity - what I have at the moment is a useless HTC One SV.
For no reason that I know my phone went to the Fastboot menu after restarting - I hadn't performed any upgrades or changes to it that would have triggered this - this was two weeks ago...
When I realised that this wasn't going away by just restarting the phone, removing SIM etc. I tried Recovery and Factory reset to no avail.
I've installed the HTC drivers & Fastboot - generated the unlock code via the HTC site ands tried that method however although the command is sent to the phone okay the bootloader doesn't unlock nor does the phone display a disclaimer...
C:\htc\fastboot>fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin
< waiting for device >
sending 'unlocktoken' (0 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.130s]
writing 'unlocktoken'...
(bootloader) unlock token check successfully
OKAY [ 0.000s]
finished. total time: 0.150s
If I try Fastboot devices then I receive this....
HT31FTP01144 fastboot
But adb devices does not return my phone or anything else as a device.
I am well and truly at a dead end - I have found a few post through a Google search and mention similar problems but none that quite match mine.

At Fastboot my phone displays....
***** LOCKED ******
X2_UL PUT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-2 21.0000
OS 3.11.61.10
eMMC boot 1024mb
Nov 7 2013, 15:32:31.0
Any help would be greatly appreciated..
Thank you,
David.

 

[ModdingMyMind]

You won't be able to unlock your device because somehow your system OS was wiped out. Wish I knew how that were possible given that you are S-On with a locked bootloader but nevertheless, there isn't much I can personally do for you. An RUU is out of the question since you are on 4.2.2. A twrp backup is out of the question since you cannot install a custom recovery unless your bootloader is unlocked. So, at this point, your best bet, is to hand the device over to HTC for repair.

 

[Tudorman]

Thank you,

I had hoped that something, anything could be done to resolve this.

I don't have the option to return the phone unfortunately, it was provided to me by Orange UK as a part of my two year contract with them, I dropped the handset around 8 months ago and chipped the digitizer so they say that because it has cosmetic damage they will not consider investigating the IOS problem that it has.

If there are any actions that I can take, whatever the risk of bricking the phone may be then I am willing to try...I don't see that I have anything left to lose with it.

 

[KILLO74WATT]

Thank you,

I had hoped that something, anything could be done to resolve this.

I don't have the option to return the phone unfortunately, it was provided to me by Orange UK as a part of my two year contract with them, I dropped the handset around 8 months ago and chipped the digitizer so they say that because it has cosmetic damage they will not consider investigating the IOS problem that it has.

If there are any actions that I can take, whatever the risk of bricking the phone may be then I am willing to try...I don't see that I have anything left to lose with it.

At Fastboot my phone displays....
***** LOCKED ******
X2_UL PUT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-2 21.0000
OS 3.11.61.10
eMMC boot 1024mb
Nov 7 2013, 15:32:31.0

something i noticed is it should read K2_CL, NOT "X2_UL" the wrong recovery is on the device. K2_CL is boost mobile /what is X2_UL?

 

[Tudorman]

I am afraid that X2 is an embarrassing typo.

Please read as....



K2_UL PVT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-2.21.0000
OS-3.11.61

 

[Dan1984x2]

My phone has done the exact same I have tried the same as you with the same outcome, is there a fix for this or is it dead?

 

[Tudorman]

My phone has done the exact same I have tried the same as you with the same outcome, is there a fix for this or is it dead?

Hi,

I'm sorry to say that I haven't, if you have any more success than I then I'd love to hear back from you.
Best of luck!

David.

 

[EarlyMon]

When plugged in, does the phone say FASTBOOT USB highlighted?

Adb commands don't work when in hboot, that's normal.

 

[An_IU]

With our HTC One mini we have the same issue. Suddenly after a low battery the phone kept restarting in fastboot. The phone was in regular status (no special firmware or so). Did some research and came to a similar situation as the first post. Fastboot devices recognizes the phone. ADB devices not. Got the unlock code from HTC and seems to work fine on the PC:

C:\adb>fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin
target reported max download size of 800227328 bytes
sending 'unlocktoken' (0 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.159s]
writing 'unlocktoken'...
(bootloader) unlock token check successfully
OKAY [ 0.037s]
finished. total time: 0.199s

However the phone does not react. Status on phone screen:
* Locked *
M4_UL PUT SHIP S-ON RL
HBOOT-2.22.0000
OS-4.14.401.2
eMMC-boot 1024MB
Aug 12 2015, 18:31:50.0
FASTBOOT USB

No idea what further steps to take, except buying a new phone.
Would be pleased to get some advice.

 

[Hadron]

Why do you want to unlock your bootloader? Are you intending to flash a custom recovery? If not then don't worry about it, because the bootloader being locked is normal and nothing to do with your problem.

It's in fastboot mode, hence it will respond to fastboot and won't respond to ADB. This is fine and normal. The problem is, why is it in fastboot mode? The two possibilities that come to mind are:

(1) your volume key is stuck, which means when you reboot the phone it thinks you are pressing the key to select the bootloader. In this case unsticking the key, if you can, will fix it. If you cannot use the keys to select items in the fastboot menu then that would certainly mean the keys are stuck or damaged.

(2) your software has been so corrupted there's nothing else it can do but boot into fastboot mode. In this case your best bet is to find a suitable ROM Upgrade Utility and reflash your phone. You'll need to know your cidnum (which "fastboot getvar all" will tell you) to find a compatible one. The good news is that you can run and RUU with the phone in fastboot mode, and the bootloader needs to be locked for this to work. The bad news is that it will wipe the phone, but if the alternative is binning it there's no loss there.

You could, if you can get into recovery, try wiping cache or doing a factory reset before trying the RUU, just in case one or other of these is enough. I'll be a little surprised if it is, but if you get to the RUU stage you've nothing to lose by trying (wiping cache won't lose you any data, a reset of course will).

 

[An_IU]

Dear Hadron,
Thank you for your quick reaction and extensive explanation.
Why unlock? I did quite some reading and in in the instruction I used this was one of the steps. Android is new for me. Indeed I am NOT interested in custom flash. Goal is to keep the phone standard. Good to hear that I do not need to unlock.

(1) Both the up and down keys can be used to go trough the selection menu. However most selections result in reboot after pushing the power button. "Show barcode" via the buttons e.g. does work well though. So my first feeling is that the button is not stuck. I will recheck the mechanics of the button, to be sure.

(2) This scenario seems quite likely. I already tried the RUU from HTC website for the One mini: RUU_M4_UL_K44_SENSE60_MR_Cingular_US_4.13.502.5_Radio_1.29.40g.00.19_10.32.40.1115L_release_450212_signed_2.exe.
However this fails with error "error [171]: usb connection error". During the process the phone did switch off/on so there is some connection and the red text "fastboot usb" got strangely partly faded visually. For the rest no effect and after fiddling around (reboot PC etc) the text "fastboot usb" got normal again. I realize the data will be lost, which is annoying, but acceptable. The result of "fastboot getvar all" is shown below. Is there another RUU that I could try?

* As far I can judge "Recovery" does not work. By selecting recovery + power button, it jumps after vibrating immediately back to bootloader. Same for "clear storage" and "factory reset".

So main route seems to find and flash a suitable RUU. However strange that this did fail so far. So maybe another root-cause ....

Again, thank you very much for your support!


C:\adb>fastboot getvar all
(bootloader) version: 0.5
(bootloader) version-bootloader: 2.22.0000
(bootloader) version-baseband: N/A
(bootloader) version-cpld: None
(bootloader) version-microp: None
(bootloader) version-main: 4.14.401.2
(bootloader) version-misc: PVT SHIP S-ON
(bootloader) serialno: *******
(bootloader) imei: *******
(bootloader) meid:
(bootloader) product: m4_ul
(bootloader) platform: HBOOT-8930
(bootloader) modelid: PO5820000
(bootloader) cidnum: HTC__E11
(bootloader) battery-status: good
(bootloader) battery-voltage: 4332mV
(bootloader) partition-layout: Generic
(bootloader) security: on
(bootloader) build-mode: SHIP
(bootloader) boot-mode: FASTBOOT
(bootloader) commitno-bootloader: dirty-0e1af350
(bootloader) hbootpreupdate: 11
(bootloader) gencheckpt: 0
all: Done!
finished. total time: 0.109s

 

[Hadron]

HTC__E11 is a Dutch cidnum, so a Cingular (US, these days called ATT) RUU isn't going to work. If you can find an HTC_Europe one that I think should be OK.

And yes, I fear you are right about it being option (2). Both buttons working with the fastboot menu suggests that's not the problem, and no baseband version available in the getvar all is a bad sign. But a message about USB connections is odd (especially since, as you say, there clearly was one). Might be worth trying a different USB port or cable, but from your cidnum I think you'll definitely need a different RUU.

 

[An_IU]

Dear Hadron, Thanks for your reaction. I am searching for the European version, but did not find it yet. I had little time today, will continue my search later this week.

 

[An_IU]

After quite some searching I did not find a suitable ROM for EU/Netherlands. On the HTC/US site above RUU is easy to find, but seems to be the only simple *.exe version, non for other regions. However on https://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads many files can be found. For instance:
Device Carrier Region Type Kernel Android Size Description
One mini HTC EU MR 2 3.4.0 v4.4.2 156 MB 2.18.401.3
One mini HTC EU zip 3.4.10 v4.2.2 99.3 MB 1.22.401.1
One mini T-Mobile NL zip 3.4.10 v4.2.2 99.3 MB 1.32.114.5

Can these be used to obtain/build a RUU? And if so, how to select the right one?

 

[LovroS]

Sorry for bad English..

Same problem here. I think this happened to me because of installing the SoundAbout app from Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.woodslink.android.wiredheadphoneroutingfix). A few days after the installation, I reboot my HTC One mini and that's it.. got stuck in the bootloader..
I took it to the service and they said it was necessary to replace the entire motherboard. I did everything you wrote here and nothing worked, so I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do.

Thank you in advance,
Lovro

 

[Hadron]

If the repair place has given an honest and accurate assessment of the problem then it's just a coincidence that it happened a couple of days after you installed that app.

If you are stuck in the bootloader and can't even access recovery (remember that you need to do some extra button presses once in recovery to get the menu, otherwise it just looks like a black screen with a red triangle or something like that), then there's nothing else you can do apart from find a compatible RUU and try to reflash the device. And if you cannot find a compatible one, or you can but that doesn't fix it, there is nothing else you can do.

 

[LovroS]

The SoundAbout application does something with a headphone jack. I installed it because the headphone jack did not work properly, and after installation it worked perfectly. I think it's the app because it's the only application on the phone that does something with hardware, so i think the application has messed up the hardware and bircked the phone. I just know that in the repair place they said they need to replace the motherboard and nothing else. I think i found stock rom here: http://www.htc.com/us/support/rom-downloads.html (model is HTC One mini), but i do not think that is what i need. I uploaded the image of phone screen.

Thanks for the quick answer

 

[Hadron]

HTC US RUUs will be US carrier software. If yours is a US carrier phone and there is one for your carrier there then there's a chance. Otherwise we need your cidnum (which you can get using fastboot - haven't time to explain now), or the country and carrier (if any) it was originally sold through, to work out what RUU would be compatible.

An app is still just software, and to damage the motherboard would be tricky even if you set out to do it deliberately - I think you'd need kernel mods at the minimum. That app is just choosing which of the existing audio interfaces to use, and doesn't even need root access, so I don't see any way it could damage the hardware or system software (and hardware damage we won't be able to fix by flashing).

 

[LovroS]

My country is Croatia, and carrier is Vip, if that can help..