S9 problem updating from 2.5-s (official) to 2.6.4-t (community)

I tried adb sideload using the /e/ recovery (without wiping) to flash 2.6.4-t and it reported ‘Signature verification failed’, upon flashing anyway it seems to succeed but is now stuck rebooting into the system (hopping e icon).

What is going wrong?

changing branch, switching from official to community…
try to revert

what about your bootloader ? open or locked ?

bootloader is unlocked. Revert didn’t work, saying ‘Denying OTA since it’s downgrade’…

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Which e-Recovery, the original Android 12(S) one?

You could check the forum reports, but my memory is that this device will prefer to have the e-Recovery updated first.

Edit This is confirmed in

… but changing from official to community might give its own problems.

First attempt was using the existing /e/ Recovery (Android s)

How do I update the Recovery? I’ve got Odin3 on a Windows laptop.

wiping is not as formating, it will wipe /data content excepting your internal storage,
when formating delete all the /data content including your internal storage.

:warning: the recovery-e only have formating option !

you may need TWRP…

grafik

image

I’m trying to do keep my data on the S9, which option should I choose (on TWRP?)

image

I have options to ‘Format cache’ and ‘Format system’ in the /e/-s Recovery, should I try that first?

format cache if you want.

system, NO, in my opinion you don’t want to format system !

‘Cache wipe complete’. Tried adb sideload of 2.6.4-t again but still same as before.

Tried TWRP 3.3 and 3.7 for the S9 using Odin3, then adb sideload in TWRP, according to [HOWTO] Install /e/ on a Samsung smartphone with Windows easily

TWRP ‘could not decrypt data’.

Still same problem unfortunately…

one of the only two defect i know from it

.

try to flash the 2.5-s version…

then if it don’t work, try first to wipe /data without formating using TWRP
to refound a working device i hope.

Thanks for your help. TWRP 3.7 was able to go back to 2.5s, but it couldn’t start due to encryption. Tried the ‘file system’ trick from the above article, which circumvented the encryption, wiped the data partition then adb sideload 2.5s

The phone is now working again on 2.5s but it is now like a fresh install (data/apps lost).

Maybe I should have removed the encryption before wiping data… not to worry!

cool

argh ! on what partition ?

Had to change the filesystem of the data partition, removing encryption in the process. Probably implies data loss.

BTW, I managed to update a Moto G7 Power (ocean) from 1.8.1 to 2.6.3u without wiping/data loss. I updated its Recovery first to /e/ 2.6.3

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yes changing partition format is as formating…

recovery-e was a better candidat to revert to 2.5-s because of the encription

better solution would be to use adb push pull throught the recovery
to save the internal storage via command line (not 100% sure)
before wiping or formating /data

did you tried that ?

Yes, and it worked in principle but data was encrypted, asking for password before starting /e/ properly.

this is well known here (even if not by me)
searching the forum may pay for this point