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How to Flash Factory Images on Nexus Devices (All)

Naveen Robsworth | 13 Nov 2014 | Google/ Guides/ ROMs

Factory Images on Nexus

The Android Lollipop update should be rolled out to the Nexus devices a couple of weeks back but unfortunately, Google engineers were stuck in a pothole with the weird WiFi bug. A week ago LG announced the OTA updates for LG G3 in the current week and recently Motorola started rolling out the Lollipop update to Moto X and Moto G devices. All the while the Nexus fanboys are like โ€œHey! weโ€™re supposed to get the Lollipop update first.โ€

Finally, the folks at Mountain View started pushing the Lollipop update to the Nexus devices gradually. The OTA notifications started rocking the notification bar and the Nexus users are excited to see the new update on their beloved devices. However, the OTA updates are being released gradually, so some of the Nexus users still might not see the OTA notification. Luckily for them, Google has uploaded the factory images for a few of the Nexus devices.

The factory images can be easily flashed using the automated script files provided in the package itself but few of the users were facing theย error: update package missing system.imgย error while flashing. This error was not new but most Nexus users were disappointed with it, but don’t lose hope yet. In this guide, we will show a workaround on how to install the Nexus factory images manually using the fastboot commands.

Warning

This guide is intended only for the Nexus devices. Be extra cautious when you choose the factory imagesย as flashing wrong onesย might result in a bricked device. You alone are responsible for any consequences that might occur during the process, we shall not be held responsible for any damage to your device.

Preparations

  • Charge your Nexus device above 60% battery level to avoid shutdowns during the process.
  • Backup your device storage, Contacts, SMS, etc. using Google Sync service or any third-party app as the entire device will be wiped clean.
  • Download and install the latest Googleย USB drivers on your PC.
    • Since the USB driver does not come as an executable file but a zip, it requires special steps to install it. Download and extract the zip on your desktop. Connect your device to computer. Press Windows+X keys on the keyboard and click on Device Manager option. Now click on the โ€œOther Devicesโ€ expander button. Right click on Nexus 5 (with yellow triangle sign) and select โ€œUpdate Driver Softwareโ€. Then click on โ€œBrowse My Computer for Driver Softwareโ€. Locate the โ€œlatest_usb_driver_windowsโ€ folder and select Installย option. When the driver is installed, your device should show in the device manager asโ€œAndroid Composite ADB Interfaceโ€.nexus 5 drivers
  • Enable USB Debugging on your Nexus.
  • Unlock bootloader onย your Nexus device.
  • Make sure to have a complete backup of the device as the entire device will be wiped clean.

Downloads

  • Download and setup Android-SDK on your computer, or simply download the Minimal ADB and Fastboot tool:ย adb-and-fastboot.zip
  • Download the stock factory image from the Google Developers page.

Flashing Factory Images in One Click (Win, Mac, Linux)

All Nexus firmwares come with a batch file for one-click installation. Here’s how to install firmwares using this method.

  1. Extract the firmware file and open it.
  2. You’ll find the following files inside the extracted folder:flash factory images nexus
  3. Now connect your device to the computer and run the flash-all.bat (Windows) or flash-all.sh (Mac and Linux).
  4. A command window will launch.flash firmware nexus
  5. Just follow the on-screen instructions and the firmware will be flashed to your Nexus device.

In case you are havingย โ€œerror: update package missing system.imgโ€ or any other issue while flashing the firmware using the above method, jump to the manual way to install the factory image manually.

Install Factory Images on Nexus Devices (Win only)

  1. The factory image will be in a .tar package. Change its extension toย .tgz and extract it. You’ll get a bunch of files along with a zip file with the nameย image-xxx-xxx.zip. Extract it to find the following files:
  2. Extract the zip in the adbย folder where you extracted the tar file. You will get the following image files:
    • boot.img
    • cache.img
    • recovery.img
    • system.img
    • userdata.img
  3. Now copy all .img files found in the firmware package into platform-tools folder (if you have installed Android SDK) or into the adb-and-fastboot folder (in case you downloaded the Minimal ADB and Fastboot tool). Just for the sake of convenience, rename the bootloader and radio file as “bootloader.img” and “radio.img”.factory images nexus devices
  4. While the platform-toolsย or the adb-and-fastboot folder is still open, pressย Shift key and then Right click on the mouse at anย empty space inside the folder and then selectย Open command window hereย option from the Windows context menu.launching command window
  5. Connect your Nexus device to the PC using a USB cable with USB debugging enabled in the settings. Just to make sure that your Nexus device is properly connected to the computer type the following command in the command window and hit the Enter key:
    adb devices
  6. If you see the serial number of your device on the cmd window, you are good to go. In case you do not get any result, try reinstalling the USB drivers.adb devices serial number
  7. Now reboot yourย device into bootloader mode by executing the following command in the command prompt:
    adb reboot bootloader
  8. Once you get into theย Bootloader Mode, you have to flash all .img files one by one using the commands described below. Let’s get started.
  9. Flash the bootloader that came with the factory image followed by the radio.img (radio.img is not found in all factory images, so don’t worry if it’sย not present in your factory image)
    fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
    fastboot flash radio radio.img

    Note:ย Make sure that the image file you’re flashing has the same name as in the folder. If the image name is different likeย bootloader-hammerhead-hhz12d.img,ย rename it to bootloader.img or change the command accordingly.

  10. Reboot the bootloader once you flashed the new bootloader and radio images. Don’t skip this step.

    fastboot reboot-bootloader
  11. Once the device boots into new bootloader, flash the rest of the images one-by-one using the following commands:
    fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
    fastboot flash boot boot.img
    fastboot flash system system.img
  12. If you want to do a full wipe of the device, issue the following commands one-by-one:
    fastboot flash cache cache.img
    fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
  13. The Nexus 9 factory image comes with an additional image file with the name vendor.img which stores the drivers. Flash it if you own a Nexus 9.
    fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
  14. Once everything is done, reboot the device with the following command:
    fastboot reboot

That’s it, your device will now boot to the world of material awesomeness. Be patient and excited at the same time.

Kindly let us know of your feedback regarding the tutorial in the comments section below.

Read Also: Extract Samsung PIT File from Samsung Firmware

Tags: Android Lollipop Google Nexus 10 Google Nexus 4 Google Nexus 5 Google Nexus 7 Nexus 10 Nexus 4 Nexus 5 Restore to Stock Firmware

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