Pixel 7 installation seems to have worked via adb/sideload - now ' device is corrupt'

/e/OS Devices Google
1

Hello All,

Ive got a pixel 7, that I’ve tried to put e/os on via the instructions on ( Install /e/OS on a Google Pixel 7 - “panther”) - intention was the official build.

Build seems to have gone ok to “format the device” where afeterwas I’ve not seen the factory reset screen & now the phone is looping through the ’ google logo " and a message " your device is corrupt. it can’t be trusted an may not work properly". That wasn’t the idea.

I’d like e/os on it but I don’t want to brick it? any ideas on how to proceed further either to get:
option1: e/os on it (which I’d like but I find the installation method rather non-user friendly and the web installer didn’t work)
option 2: turn back to the stock OS android from (alas) google

Look forward to some suggestions - regards

Arjan

Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/OS the deGoogled mobile OS and online servicesphone

2

So two problems, as you sound unhappy about the second … is it the same as this Murena Pixel 7 yellow triangle on booting.

Maybe there is room for misunderstanding …

  1. Select Factory reset
  2. Select Format data / Factory reset option
  3. Next screen will display a warning that this action cannot be undone
  4. Select Format data to proceed or Cancel if you want to go back
  5. If you selected Format data, the format process will complete.

The 5 points are mostly to explain the navigation to the one task Format data. This is an essential step and causes a bootloop if the format does not actually happen and complete.

Is it possible that the Recovery you saw was not e-Recovery?

Please compare with my reply here No "Apply Update" entry in the "recovery mode" menu - #2 by aibd

3

Hi,

the issue is not the same as the ’ yellow triangle on booting’ -

I’ve added the 3 screens that I can see… (yesterday had a e/os recovery screen as well - with option to turn ADB on - which I did - but PC won’t connect now and I don’t seem to be able to get back to the e/os recovery screen).

Pixel 7 - screen 1
Pixel 7 - screen 11920×2550 196 KB

Pixel 7 - screen 2
Pixel 7 - screen 21920×2550 226 KB

PIxel 7 - screen 3
PIxel 7 - screen 31920×2550 142 KB

to answer the question - I cannot find any ‘factory reset’ or other options.

What works at the moment is:

  • if plugged into charger → charging icon on screen
  • if pluggen into pc and with double tap on power & hold power button will start with screens as indicated above
  • yesterday via e/os recovery screen - i could turn the phone off.

Any suggestions on how to get back into the e/os recovery screen?

4

Looks like this will not happen without reflashing. As long as you can boot into fastboot mode you can start again. Does it help to visualise that the phone has 3 modes

  • Fastboot – always active as a communication channel – we tend to say the phone is not bricked if you have fastboot.
  • Recovery – this is the stage where we break the Google / Android hold on the device and is critical to get right. If you are at all uncertain why you cannot find Format data from the guide I copied please take a photo next time.
  • System – should be straightforward as long as all Recovery tasks are complete.

So I think you show an image of the Red warning and Orange warning, explained on same links as shown for Yellow warning.

Good luck with your second attempt. :slightly_smiling_face:

There is this guide for a different perspective [HOWTO] an Unified Install Guide Project for /e/. Don’t hesitate to ask if anything is unclear.

5

managed to get the e-os recovery screen:

(take the charger / usb connection out) and start phone:
I’m able to get into the following screens:

pixel 7 - screen 4
pixel 7 - screen 41920×2550 160 KB

pixel 7 - screen 5
pixel 7 - screen 51920×1446 105 KB

pixel 7 - screen 6
pixel 7 - screen 61920×2550 201 KB

we’ve done the factory reset. see screen 4, but still same results

Tried rescue mode - was available we get the android on it’s back with red triangle…

current status:

  • long pressing of the power button gets me back into the e-recovery screen

  • long pressing of the power button and vol- get me into the fastboot mode

Any suggestions to get back to a working phone?

6

What? You go to

  • Apply update
  • Apply update from adb
  • adb sideload downloaded_file_name.zip from the PC.

When you Press enter key on the keyboard to start the sideloading what do you see on the PC screen?

Going back over earlier steps …

Prior to flashing Recovery did you find all the required additional images in order to do

fastboot flash boot <boot>.img
fastboot flash dtbo <dtbo>.img
fastboot flash vendor_kernel_boot <vendor_kernel_boot>.img

before

fastboot flash vendor_boot recoveryfilename.img

with no reported error? All commands “word perfect” ?

While I wrote the above, you edited your post.

No problem, if what I wrote above leaves you uncertain you could go back to the start.

7

Hi,

Excuses for amending the post - was an idea to see if we could get the recovery screen, I’’ be a bit more patient / less impulsive from here on in.

in response to the questions:

fastboot flash boot <boot>.img 
fastboot flash dtbo <dtbo>.img
fastboot flash vendor_kernel_boot <vendor_kernel_boot>.img

for all of these I copied the filenames from the power shell (dir) so these should be the same (filenames replaced the complete “<**>” part)

Also did the fastboot flash vendor_boot… again copied the filenames from the powershell/command window to avoid spelling issues.

As far as I’m aware and could see it all went according to the instructions.

if power button & vol- are pressed (long) I can get into the fastboot mode & been able to get into the recovery mode:

  • found the apply update menu

  • found the apply update from adb

  • on the pc: adb sideload e-2.8-t-20250219470165-official-panther.zip
    → PS D:\e_os pixel 7> adb sideload e-2.8-t-20250219470165-official-panther.zip
    serving: ‘e-2.8-t-20250219470165-official-panther.zip’ (~9%)
    serving: ‘e-2.8-t-20250219470165-official-panther.zip’ (~47%)
    PS D:\e_os pixel 7> adb sideload e-2.8-t-20250219470165-official-panther.zip
    Total xfer: 1.00x
    PS D:\e_os pixel 7>

  • phone script states: ’ install completed with status 0’

Looks like that I’m now at the state: " This means that the install was successful." reading the instructions.

Status phone:

  • e/os recovery screen
  • following options to choose:
    ** reboot system now
    ** apply update
    ** factory reset
    ** advanced

Now Reading the instructions, and given that I am doing an official build i can proceed with locking the bootloader?

Regards & massive thanks for your help so far :smile:

8

All good.

Locking the bootloader

Appears on the instructions for Official – go for it.

9

couldn’t get the PC to find the device for any fastboot command, in the meantime the murena /e/os user setup appeared on the phone.

Questions are:

  • do i really need to lock the bootloader?
  • I’m assuming can I do it later?
  • could a non locked bootloader have any impact on apps that i want to run?

Absolute massive thanks & regards for the help - Was really thinking I’d bricked the thing.

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10

If you lock it later, all your data will be deleted then and the setup starts again.

11

Ok thanks,

I’ll get it into a very short term workable state and then fix that when I have time.

Thanks (!) for answering :slight_smile:

Regards

12

Great that it worked out OK. :smile:

You might read this to help you decide A discussion about bootloader locking/unlocking… AKA I want to relock my bootloader, should I?.

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13

Thanks for the link, read it, understood it, & not going to do it!

this case is closed and e/os is up and running.

Thanks a lot (!) for your help - much much appreciated. :grinning: :+1:

Regards, Arjan

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