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Root Accidentally soft-bricked my phone and now cant flash RUUs.

cguy3000

Lurker
Oct 20, 2014
6
0
Hey guys, so I had rooted my htc one m8 verizon and an OTA update i accidentally installed soft bricked my phone and it will get stuck on the red verizon screen but it will go into bootloader mode. The phone had an unlocked bootloader but was relocked with the OTA update, and i accidentally turned my s-off back to s-on not really realizing what i was doing. Now every time i try to flash ANY type of RUU file it always gets hung up on "12 signature failure" or something like that. I read on other forms that i need a specific RUU with specific security signatures but i cant seem to find them anywhere on the internet! Does anybody know of an RUU or stock RUU file with these specific security signatures? Or another method to fix my problems? Anything will help because i cant use my phone until i fix this! :thinking::thinking::thinking::thinking::thinking::thinking::thinking:
 
You will have to revert back using a RUU. You should be able to obtain your RUU via htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads and download the RUU.zip for your specific phone. After that, you will have to place the RUU.ZIP on external sd card (this method should automatically recognize the file, then follow the prompts)
Boot into bootloader and let it run (power off then hold volume down + power buttons)
or place in fastboot dir open cmd window > fastboot oem rebootRUU >fastboot flash zip 0P6BIMG.zip
Reboot
This whould hopefully get you to a bootable OS. From there, depending on your HBOOT ver. you might be able to gain S-OFF again via Firewater.
 
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If you took an OTA does that mean you are on stock recovery? Also, returning to s-on is a pretty specific fastboot command - are you sure you did that accidentally (not trying to be smart, just checking)? First things first, are you sure the phone won't boot up just in case you have a firmware/software mismatch - this can mean it takes ages to boot eg 10-15 mins.

If it definitely won't boot, does fastboot connect with your phone ok? If it does can you check the OS version or better run the fastboot getvar all command to get a note of the version-main number. This should be the firmware version and will help try and get a software match in a rom - of the top of my head firmware 1.xx is android 4.4.2, 2.xx is 4.4.3 and 3.xx is 4.4.4. The only thing i could then suggest if fastboot is working is if you re-unlock your bootloader, then fastboot flash a custom recovery. If you have a nandroid backup you could maybe try restoring that. Otherwise you could find a verizon rom for correct android version to match your firmware to flash, but you might have to extract the boot.img from the zip file first and flash it first via fastboot. Then flash the rom from recovery.

BUT, having said that I'd like one of the more knowledgeable folk on here to jump in as I've only recently come back to HTC from a SGS3 and am still finding my way around the HTC way of doing things again. I really don't want to suggest something that makes things worse!
 
Upvote 0
You will have to revert back using a RUU. You should be able to obtain your RUU via htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads and download the RUU.zip for your specific phone. After that, you will have to place the RUU.ZIP on external sd card (this method should automatically recognize the file, then follow the prompts)
Boot into bootloader and let it run (power off then hold volume down + power buttons)
or place in fastboot dir open cmd window > fastboot oem rebootRUU >fastboot flash zip 0P6BIMG.zip
Reboot
This whould hopefully get you to a bootable OS. From there, depending on your HBOOT ver. you might be able to gain S-OFF again via Firewater.
Yeah i tried the file off of the HTC dev website and i thought it would work but whenever it try to flash it through fastboot it says that the file allocated is too big or something like that. I tried this file with the SD card and it wouldnt load but it might have been my SD card but im pretty sure if it wouldnt work through the fastboot it wont work through the SD card.
 
Upvote 0
If you took an OTA does that mean you are on stock recovery? Also, returning to s-on is a pretty specific fastboot command - are you sure you did that accidentally (not trying to be smart, just checking)? First things first, are you sure the phone won't boot up just in case you have a firmware/software mismatch - this can mean it takes ages to boot eg 10-15 mins.

If it definitely won't boot, does fastboot connect with your phone ok? If it does can you check the OS version or better run the fastboot getvar all command to get a note of the version-main number. This should be the firmware version and will help try and get a software match in a rom - of the top of my head firmware 1.xx is android 4.4.2, 2.xx is 4.4.3 and 3.xx is 4.4.4. The only thing i could then suggest if fastboot is working is if you re-unlock your bootloader, then fastboot flash a custom recovery. If you have a nandroid backup you could maybe try restoring that. Otherwise you could find a verizon rom for correct android version to match your firmware to flash, but you might have to extract the boot.img from the zip file first and flash it first via fastboot. Then flash the rom from recovery.

BUT, having said that I'd like one of the more knowledgeable folk on here to jump in as I've only recently come back to HTC from a SGS3 and am still finding my way around the HTC way of doing things again. I really don't want to suggest something that makes things worse!
I am not sure there even is a stock recovery, whenever i select recovery in fastboot mode it will reach the red triangle screen and when i do the power button and up button key combination it just restarts the phone. So i dont think there is stock recovery on it. and i did do the specific command to turn it s-on. But i had done it because my bootloader relocked from the OTA update and firewater wasnt working so i thought maybe being s-off was screwing with it, so i changed it. Yeah fastboot works and it is 4.4.2. How do i unlock the bootloader from fastboot? i thought the only way to unlock it for a verizon phone was through firewater which i cant use unless the phone boots up? I thought that would fix it but i couldnt find a method to unlock the bootloader from fastboot. So how can i flash the stock recovery with s-on and bootloader locked? and can i unlock the bootloader from fastboot? and am i doing something wrong with the RUU zip file from htc dev?
 
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Yeah, I'm GSM and didn't realise that Verizon lock down the bootloader so you can't unlock via htcdev. Sorry bud I can't see any way out but waiting on a Verizon ruu to drop, or return the phone to get fixed/replaced under warranty as bricked via OTA as at least everything is as stock as you managed to get it.

Otherwise need one of the Verizon guys to chip in.
 
Upvote 0
Yeah, I'm GSM and didn't realise that Verizon lock down the bootloader so you can't unlock via htcdev. Sorry bud I can't see any way out but waiting on a Verizon ruu to drop, or return the phone to get fixed/replaced under warranty as bricked via OTA as at least everything is as stock as you managed to get it.

Otherwise need one of the Verizon guys to chip in.

After many tries of the stock bootloader i finally got it to work. Can i do something with the stock bootloader with a locked bootloader and s-on? I feel like the stock recovery will fix something. Like flashing an ota.
 
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After many tries of the stock bootloader i finally got it to work. Can i do something with the stock bootloader with a locked bootloader and s-on? I feel like the stock recovery will fix something. Like flashing an ota.

with vzw you are pretty much up a creek until an ruu that meets your s on criteria is met,as saltire said above.

your best bet if youre carrying a 3rd party insurance is to make a claim and chalk up the deductible to a lesson learned. in the future,never,ever ever EVER turn s on on a vzw device!! unlockable devices are not near as big a deal since htcdev can always be used to unlock.

also,sent you a pm if you do not get notifications.
 
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