Many thanks for your update.
I also have an XA2, and thought I might try re-flashing it, following my initial working attempt back in March. But, Windows was so finicky that I couldn’t get the drivers to re-install again, despite a fair bit of mucking around. Hence, I’ve not had a chance to practice re-flashing my XA2, and have been relying on the OTA updates to work. It means I can’t remove modules at flash time, but … such is life.
At some stage, all of these user experiences could usefully be compiled into a “How to really install /e/ on a Sony Xperia XA2” 