FP3 latest update corrupt, doesnt work

[3fach9]

Can I install it by my own without loosing data? (on the same slot which i use normally)

Using these commands:

 fastboot flash system system.img
 fastboot flash boot boot.img
 fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
 fastboot flash dtbo dtbo.img
 fastboot flash product product.img
 fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

[AnotherElk]

@3fach9

Can I install it by my own without loosing data? (on the same slot which i use normally)

Why not install it on the slot you don’t use currently? So the currently working slot stays in a working shape?
Data should not be affected as long as you only flash the partitions an initial install or update flashes and you don’t wipe userdata.

If you don’t want to run a risk of messing up the slots, you can append every partition name (apart from userdata, of course, but you don’t flash that anyway) with “_a” or “_b” when flashing them.
E.g. fastboot flash system_a system.img or fastboot flash system_b system.img would force flashing the system image to slot A or B, respectively.

[3fach9]

@AnotherElk thanks! You helped me a lot.

[lalala]

This update crashed my phone as well. Will try to boot other system. Would be nice if that was an option in the GUI instead of just “factory reset”.

[meetowl]

Here’s the kicker, I guess this is with the expectation that you are using the adb device that you initially installed /e/ with, because whenever I invoke anything to do with adb:

adb devices
[DEVICE] unauthorized

and with fastboot:

fastboot getvar current-slot
< waiting for any device >

I’ve rebooted my machine and ran as root, but the problem persists.
I suspect this is because I’m running this on another machine (I don’t have access to the other), and I haven’t clicked the “authorize device” thing when connecting to android with adb on this one.
The computer I flashed /e/ with had arch, and the one I have now has manjaro. Thankfully, I have full access to the /home/user backup of the other machine, so if there are any keys I can use in order to authorize myself in some config directory, I can do that.

Is there a way to do this on a computer that hasn’t been authorized yet? If not, can I load a key from a computer that was authorized to my current one in order to get authorized? If not, is my only option to factory reset?

Thanks!

[AnotherElk]

This has nothing to do with ADB and the authorisation for ADB.

[solved] FP3 update 0.12-p-2020100376806 went wrong

Did you boot the phone into Fastboot Mode by starting or rebooting it with keeping Volume - pressed? The fastboot command only works in Fastboot Mode.

[meetowl]

That’s fantastic! Thank you so much!
Now, how do I go about getting my other slot (in my case, b) into working order? I wouldn’t want to end up in the same situation, but this time with both broken slots.
Can I just flash a known good image onto my other slot with the instructions from
https://doc.e.foundation/devices/FP3/install
but this time without the

fastboot -w # Wipe user data

command?

[AnotherElk]

@meetowl

Now, how do I go about getting my other slot (in my case, b) into working order? I wouldn’t want to end up in the same situation, but this time with both broken slots.

You are using a working slot now. A new update would update the other slot in the background again. You would still have the working slot. I don’t see a problem.

But if you are feeling adventurous …

@AnotherElk

you can append every partition name (apart from userdata, of course, but you don’t flash that anyway) with “_a” or “_b” when flashing them.
E.g. fastboot flash system_a system.img or fastboot flash system_b system.img would force flashing the system image to slot A or B, respectively.

By the way … Do you have a backup of all your important stuff?

[meetowl]

Turns out I am feeling quite adventurous and I think this will serve as useful knowledge down the line.
And yes, I will get onto backing up everything I can
Thanks again!

[Julian]

@AnotherElk

fastboot --set-active=a or fastboot --set-active=b … will set the slot for the next boot. Try whether the phone boots with this. The data partition is shared between the two slots, so the data will be the same and hopefully not affected so far.

how do I get there? Is it over the factory data reset? Or is it the thing were I have to push the power button very for long

[andrelam]

Press and hold power+vol down, yes the screen with start etc.

[Julian]

If I press and hold the power button and then chose “start” it says: “can’t load android system. You continue to get this message, factory data reset and erase a device”

this basically means I can forget all my data, doesn’t it?

[Julian]

I did not even get to chose between slot A and B

[andrelam]

You must type these commands on your computer.

[AnotherElk]

@Julian

If I press and hold the power button and then chose “start”

Don’t choose anything. This is already Fastboot Mode. In this mode …

• Connect your phone to a computer via USB.
• If not done already, download the current Android SDK platform tools to the computer and unzip the ZIP file to a folder you can navigate to easily.
• Open a command line/ terminal and navigate to the folder to which you unzipped the tools. If you are unfamiliar with the command line/ terminal, here’s a really good and short 1 page introduction to everything you need for now … https://tutorial.djangogirls.org/en/intro_to_command_line/
• Execute the commands.
  fastboot devices … will display an ID of your phone if the USB connection and the fastboot command work, it’s a good test before doing anything else.

@AnotherElk

fastboot getvar current-slot … should give you the slot which now doesn’t boot … or “INVALID” if something went even more wrong.

fastboot --set-active=a or fastboot --set-active=b … will set the slot for the next boot. Try whether the phone boots with this. The data partition is shared between the two slots, so the data will be the same and hopefully not affected so far.

[Julian]

@AnotherElk

Open a command line/ terminal and navigate to the folder to which you unzipped the tools.

I am struggling with this step. Is there anyone familiar with macs and can tell me which commands I have to use? (Sorry, I really am not an expert in these things…)
That would be so nice!

[AnotherElk]

@Julian

English is not my original language, I will try to find an instruction in German

https://tutorial.djangogirls.org/de/intro_to_command_line/

[Julian]

I am in the “platform-tools” folder now, but if I enter “fastboot devices”, it says command not found

[AnotherElk]

Use the ls command to see whether “fastboot” is actually in the folder.
If it is, try ./fastboot devices

The ./ part should force the system to use the fastboot command in the current folder (and not look for it in a set of command folders known to the system … I think).
If this works, you just have to prefix every fastboot command with ./

[athair_birb]

Hello, sorry to bother you again with this.

I set my boot partition to ‘a’ from ‘b’ and my phone refuses to, well, boot. It defaults to recovery with the option to try again or wipe. Trying again just drops me back into recovery.

‘a’ had 0.11 and ‘b’ has 0.12. I’ve put the boot partition back to ‘b’ and it’s still running. Is there anything I need to do to get the ‘a’ partition to boot?

Regards