Bootloop with dead battery and bricked phone?

Oké now also mine FP2 in a bootloop. Got new replacement screen due to hardware failure. (SW updated, so I assume it is working) Cannot start in maintenance mode, (why?) but can start in fastboot mode.

Now on my PC I have these 2 images which I did try to flash (like before), but when “writing rpm” the device starts to bootloop again.

Host:/home/user/FP2 # sh flash-for-unix.sh 
** Fairphone Open 18.02.0 Manual Flashing Script **

Validating files...
Validation complete.

One Fairphone 2 in fastboot mode found (serial number: xxxxxxxx).

Proceeding to flash the device.

target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'rpm' (186 KB)...
OKAY [  0.009s]
writing 'rpm'...
FAILED (status read failed (No such device))
finished. total time: 5.015s

ERROR: Could not flash the rpm partition on device xxxxxxxx.

ERROR: Please unplug the phone, take the battery out, boot the device into
ERROR: fastboot mode, plug in the phone, and start this script again.
ERROR: (To get to fastboot mode, press Volume-Down and Power until the)
ERROR: (Fairphone logo appears.)

Aborting now (press Enter to terminate).
Host:/home/user/FP2 #                                           
Host:/home/user/fp3 # sh flash-for-unix.sh 
** Fairphone Open 18.04.1 Manual Flashing Script **

Validating files...
Validation complete.

One Fairphone 2 in fastboot mode found (serial number: xxxxxxxx).

Proceeding to flash the device.

target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'rpm' (186 KB)...
OKAY [  0.009s]
writing 'rpm'...
FAILED (status read failed (No such device))
finished. total time: 5.015s

ERROR: Could not flash the rpm partition on device xxxxxxxx.

ERROR: Please unplug the phone, take the battery out, boot the device into
ERROR: fastboot mode, plug in the phone, and start this script again.
ERROR: (To get to fastboot mode, press Volume-Down and Power until the)
ERROR: (Fairphone logo appears.)

Aborting now (press Enter to terminate).

Something seems not ok with your disk partition table, I guess.… really weird.

You should really try with latest FP Open release, 18.04.x as of today: https://code.fairphone.com/projects/fp-osos/user/fairphone-open-source-os-downloads.html#manual-installation Oops, overread it, sorry.

If it fails in the same step, then try to open the script and comment out (putting a # at the begginning of the line) the line in which the script flash the rpm.img, and rerun the script. It might fail on other step later, let’s see if I’m correct.

(Don’t worry, there’s no problem in flashing images individualy or in different order, so this shouldn’t bring more issues)

EDIT: I forgot to tell. This case already has arguments for opening a support ticket and get your phone replaced, I’m pretty sure.

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Fairphone Open OS uses the TWRP recovery.

As long as fastboot works, you can try to install TWRP again. Just follow the “Fastboot Install Method (No Root Required)” section here …

If this fails, you could try to boot TWRP without flashing it.

If TWRP somehow works, you could try to install the modemfiles with it, as rpm is a part of the modem firmware.
If there is something wrong with the partitions, this should fail too, of course.

Look out for any error message TWRP might bring up for any of this.

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My guess too: all images tell me the same:
sending '<image_name> (<image_size> KB)…
FAILED (command write failed (No such device))
finished. total time: 0.000s
:thinking: even the recovery.img :flushed:

Now I read in flashboot --help how to erase or even reformat a particular partition, but not how to recover a partition table…

Plan B: going to follow the TWRP route advised now.

Ah hmmm indeed same error, No such device - and starts to bootloop.

Make me happy :disappointed_relieved:

In fastboot mode connected phone is not seen by adb devices -l and adb shell replies also error: device not found

lsusb shows it is connected:
Bus 003 Device 105: ID 18d1:d00d Google Inc.

Nor gparted does see my phone :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

(What) Is the(re any) way to repartition the phone?

That’s normal. While in fastboot mode, phone is only visible by fastboot. fastboot devices should list your device, though.

It doesn’t work like that, phones are connected through a different interface, not a regular mass storage, so gparted doesn’t see them as storage.

I’m afraid there isn’t. There are a lot of partitions involved in embedded devices —like smartphones are— and AFAIK there’s no generic way to do it. There’s a thread somewhere in the forum that discussed this in regards to making a complete backup of the phone.

Although the issue might be caused too by the bottom module (mic and charge port), not just by a corrupted partition table. I had a similar issue with my old Nexus 4 after it being drowned in water. Once dry, microUSB worked for charging and was detected by adb and fastboot —in each respective context—, but as soon as I initiated a transaction, it disconnected and crashed.

You could contact a near fairphoneangels and ask them for swaping bottom modules to diagnose the issue, maybe, before heading to contactsupport (I’m sorry… hope your device is still under warranty)

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I happen to have replaced my bottom module and have a more or less defective module hanging around in my nostalgia cabinet (along with the defective and replaced back cover of my FP1 and the replaced back cover of the FP2)… Because of its defeciveness (USB charging did not work) I am afraid fastboot is not an option there. I lack the courage to find that out.

And there is one more option, I tried all above without my SD card inserted, which may account for unfindable partition (being no system partition to be targeted, but still: when my Linux box has a defective diskpartition in its fstab, it will drop me to recoverymode until I removed a link to that crashed harddrive). Give me some courage to walk the extra mile before either bid a final farewell to FP or have the main board replaced.

Warranty or not, I am not sure, but I did not just receive a screen replacement to now only see the fastboot screen.

Your username and use of the word ‘oké’ suggests that you are Dutch. I’m in Utrecht and have a bottom module here with broken microphone but everything else including USB should be working. I will leave the country tomorrow evening though for vacation in Slovakia, though.

If you are indeed in the Netherlands and manage to PM me your address before I am gone, I can mail you the module (just by regular mail, I don’t mind if it costs me an envelope and a stamp). I will be back on August 10, but I guess waiting for me to return would be a long time without phone for you.

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It took some while, having my phone in fastboot all the time but no battery charge in the end. Then I placed the other bottom module, SIM card + SD card (which previously worked) and ran the update script again. Same error. Think I must call on support, alas.

Still FairPhone adept, but hmmm to be honest, it would help if it worked.

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