htc desire a8181 help needed

[jij]

idea!? buy an sd card, put it on sd, ( format 1st?) so 0 else on it but p...zip ie nothing else to be possibly interfering with finding it? can u get it into hboot via a computer method? to hopefully get it to read zip!?

 

[jij]

my condition affects my main hand, but did i get all info?, after several attempts

sd checking...
loading...[pb99diag.zip]
no image!
loading...[pbdiag.nbh]
no image or wrong image!
loading...[pb99img.zip]
no image!
loading...[pb99img.nbh]
no image or wrong image!


new sd 0 else on there?

 

[jij]

did u get sd checking list?

 

[Hadron]

My guess is that it's not found the PB99IMG.zip file. But rather than rely on memory I've just dug my old Desire out and stuck it on charge, so I can refresh my memory about what it says under different circumstances. There may be a few hours wait while it charges though.

 

[Hadron]

OK, so we can cross a couple of worries off the list: the search for a PB99IMG works fine if you start up in fastboot and then select bootloader from the menu. And when I put an SD card which hasn't got such a file on it into the device it (briefly) produces exactly the messages you see. That means that it can't find the file on your SD card: wrong name, or in the wrong place (i.e. inside a folder) would be the obvious reasons. All of the old documents I saw said that the filename had to be uppercase (PB99IMG.zip), but as the error message is lowercare you could try renaming to pb99img.zip and see whether that helps.

One thing to beware of if you have done any renaming is to make sure the computer didn't add a file type afterwards, i.e. that the name is PB99IMG.zip and not PB99IMG.zip.zip (that used to catch people out 10 years ago).

On the volume buttons, are you certain they do nothing? The first time I tried I had the same thing, which was very odd as I knew my buttons worked. The second time I tried they did actually work, but I had to press them very deliberately (slow and hard) for them to work in the bootloader (and it's possible I'd been pressing too lightly when I'd had problems before). In the same way I was able to boot directly into hboot, but it involved pressing and holding volume down (quite firmly) and then pressing and holding the power button until the bootloader screen appeared (if I just pressed power to start it up and then let go it would ignore the volume button and do a normal reboot).

 

[Hadron]

Damn, but it was nice turning that thing on again. I wish they still made phones like that: small, user-removable battery, plastic body and decent (for the time) internals. It just brings home to me how uninsteresting I find the large, fragile, overpriced modern flagships they produce these days.

 

[jij]

ok, i did PB99IMG.zip renamed it pb99img.zip, did also. on sd checking both showed as PB99IMG ... wrong or no image. if i press buttons any harder (hand prob) il break my finger or phone button i feel, which seems in good condition. when u said 'Damn', i sense its when you felt the kick as it fires up - if it were a horse, ud be hospitalised - i jump each time.

 

[jij]

so empty sd, just PB99img.zip file? select bootloader & hope it works

is the file working/complete etc??

 

[jij]

sounds like ud buy a n

 

[jij]

how much would a new 1 on the market be today? - such a handy size, as i have to use my other hand, can manage tv size 1s

i pressed button quite hard til it was hurting

 

[Hadron]

so empty sd, just PB99img.zip file? select bootloader & hope it works

is the file working/complete etc??

I don't know about the file, but the message is the one I get when there is no such file on the card.

It shouldn't need an empty SD card: I used to do this with my regular card. In fact when I was playing with different custom hboots I used to keep several on the card (in a folder, with names that told me which one was which) and just copy one to the root of the card and rename it when I wanted to flash. So I don't understand why it's not finding it: logically it can only be either the name or the location that's the issue.

how much would a new 1 on the market be today? - such a handy size, as i have to use my other hand, can manage tv size 1s

i pressed button quite hard til it was hurting

You won't find a new one on the market today: they stopped making them in 2011. And you won't be able to give it S-Off if you do find it, though you might be able to root it with the older Unrevoked tool if it had old enough software, or using the official bootloader unlock tool if not. Though if you can find a second-hand one they shouldn't cost very much now. But they are a long way behind the curve.

Something with this size and modern internals I'd happily pay the sort of price I paid for my Pixel 2 (about £700). I'd probably not pay the £1k that Samsung and Apple think that people should pay for a flagship, but that's because I'd not pay that for any phone (not because I don't have the money, but because I don't believe any phone is worth that).

 

[jij]

ok, so if I got an sd & filled it with folders (empty/full?) & files or borrowed 1 from a bro's phone not htc - put the PB99IMG.zip on both in both cases.

the sd, not having been in htc a8181, would it be a problem?

 

[Hadron]

You don't need folders: the PB99IMG should just be sitting in the top level of the card. It doesn't matter whether there are folders there or not as long as it's not in one.

As long as the card has the usual fat32 filesystem it shouldn't matter whether it's been used in the Desire before or not (and if it has a different filesystem the phone won't recognise the card at all). Though there are always odd cases where a card that was formatted in one device can't be read by another (they are slightly finicky things).

 

[jij]

I put it unzipped on card PB99img.zip not PB99img, because it went straight to the bottom.

do I need to unzip it?

 

[jij]

after back & power, i tried it PB99img & PB99IMG.zip, both say

sd checking...
loading...[PB99DIAG.zip]
no image!
loading...[PBDIAG.nbh]
no image or wrong image!
loading...[PB99IMG.zip]
no image!
loading...[PB99IMG.nbh]
no image or wrong image!


so is it the file? as it checks it?? but says no or wrong image!

 

[jij]

@theunlocker, fri 22 6 2012
You are here: How To's » How to Flash a Custom Recovery on the HTC Desire




any tip bits in the above?

 

[Hadron]

I put it unzipped on card PB99img.zip not PB99img, because it went straight to the bottom.

do I need to unzip it?

No, don't unzip it. Put it on exactly as downloaded.

And those messages are exactly what mine produced when there was no file on the SD card. The problem is that it isn't finding it. Every source I've checked says the filename should be PB99IMG.zip (case-sensitive), so the 4EXT file should be correctly named as downloaded from XDA, and need nothing more than placing on the card.

If this persists in not working then the other option is to install an app called fastboot on the computer, extract the image from the zip and then flash that using fastboot. In fact I've just looked at that page you linked and it seems to describe this procedure, except that they use ClockworkMod Touch (which is a different custom recovery). I remember being more confident of 4EXT than CWM on the Desire (there was one earlier build of CWM that was fine, but others that were problematic. I never used the touch version). But if you just unzip the 4EXT PB99IMG.zip you'll find the recovery image in there, so you could try that instead of the one they suggest.

Tips for using fastboot: always use the command "fastboot devices" before anything else. If you have a connection to your phone (which must be in fastboot mode and connected via usb) it will respond with the serial number. If it doesn't then there is a connection problem, and you need to solve that first. And you might want to try "fastboot reboot recovery" as well: if that boots you into recovery then that's great, as you have a way of getting into recovery without the volume key working (which you'll need in order to install a custom ROM). But that's a non-standard fastboot command, so not all devices respond to it, hence worth testing.

 

[jij]

so if i use fastboot, i type fastboot, which shows fastboot.exe - open it (administrator) connect with phone in fastboot mode?

i did fastboot a box, command prompt? flashed, i put phone in fastboot mode and connected to usb, typed in admin command prompt 'fastboot devices' - '2 letters 3 digits 2 letters 5 numbers ie serial num....fastboot' was produced

since it has occurred as u explained, i guess there is an instruction, to run PB99IMG.zip?

 

[jij]

fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-touch-5.8.0.2-bravo.img, in the link we were in, should be in my case via command prompt

fastboot flash recovery PB99IMG

 

[jij]

ps if i disconnect phone, before typing command,(i know not to whilst flashing) it wouldnt affect doing it later?, as phone heats if waiting long in fastboot, but not doing anything!?

 

[jij]

or fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

 

[jij]

WOW! UR Amazing!!

this is where i am now:-
C:\Windows\system32>fastboot devices
serial number fastboot

C:Windows\system32>fastboot flash recovery C:Users\jc\Desktop\recovery.img
sending 'recovery' <3786 kb>...
OKAY [ 0.574s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 1.115s]
finished. total time: 1.695s

im guessing the recovery.img is on the phone!? a few more baby steps (if im believing right) so i can hopefully have a phone to use. should i 'exit' the command prompt?

if i disconnect phone from comp, should it function as did before problem...?

im feeling like if thats right, what caused me to think of it!? the way uv been guiding me through, most have generated good thinking!!!!

 

[jij]

does the recovery.img file, need to be put on the sd card by command prompt?, as doing back button & power still shows no or wrong image & vol buttons not? working.
when it says sending/writing recovery where does it or should it send it to?

 

[jij]

????

 

[Hadron]

OK, so first thing, congratulations: "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" was the command you needed. So you should now have 4EXT touch recovery installed on the phone.

Now if you want to use that to flash the custom ROM you need to follow the instructions in the ROM thread. But to do this you'll need to be able to get into recovery. Normally that is done by booting into the bootloader and selecting recovery from the options, but your volume key isn't responding. So the next thing would be to try the command "fastboot reboot recovery" - if the phone recognises that command you have a way of using the recovery (and as that recovery uses the touch screen you don't have to worry about volume keys once you are in). If it doesn't you may not be able to use it (the other ways of booting into recovery I can think of require that the phone can boot into Android).

Relocking the bootloader (the video): the only reason to relock the bootloader is to run an RUU (even then I don't think you have to when S-Off - so if this comes to an RUU try without first, then relock if necessary). What locking the bootloader will do is stop you reflashing other partitions, such as the recovery partition you just flashed. Of course you should be able to unlock it again, but I'd not do it unless you have to (I'm hoping that with the phone having been unlocked via Revolutionary you can just re-unlock it with a single fastboot command, whereas the official bootloader unlock for the Desire was more involved, but as I never relocked mine I cannot say for sure).