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Restore Verizon HTC One M8 to Stock ROM with RUU

Rakesh | 09 May 2014 | Guides/ HTC

The HTC One M8 is definitely the most beautiful Android phone with premium finish, featuring awesome hardware and the latest version of Sense UI. It has been just about a month since the device was released but it has gained significant popularity in this very short span of time.

As is usually happens, popular Android devices manage to capture the fancy of our developers. No wonder, the HTC One M8 has become a darling of the Android development community. The device got a working S-OFF method via Firewater soon after its launch. It can be easily rooted and custom recoveries are also available there for a while too. There are a plethora of custom ROMs, hacks and mods for the device to play with.

If you own the Verizon variant of the HTC One M8 and have rooted your phone and installed TWRP on it, it’s very likely that you intend to try root apps, mods and custom ROMs on it. Indeed, the fascinationย of Android lies in such activities but such activities might put your deviceย under risky situations.ย In certain situations, you mightย have to restore Verizon HTC One M8 toย stock ROMย to bring the device back to normal state.

It’s very easy to find a firmware for a device from some Android manufacturers like Google, Samsung, LG and Motorola. But when it comes to HTC firmwares, you’ll not find any repository or a specific tool that can flash the firmware to your HTC One M8. To install stock ROM on your Verizon One M8, you’ll have to download the ROMย zip file compiled as RUU (ROM Update Utility) and flash it using a string of ย ADB and Fastboot commands.

Warning:

The RUU installation procedure is considered risky and though it has been tested successfully, we do not hold any responsibility. The device is yours and so are the risks involved!

Preparations:

  • Make sure yourย Verizon HTC One M8 is S-OFF’d. If you have not done this yet, you can easily S-OFF your VZW M8 using Firewater methodย (it has been discontinued).
  • Install HTC Sync or HTC USB Drivers on your computer: Download here
  • Enable USB Debugging on your phone from Settings> Developer options. If you do not find Developer option under device settings, read the instructionsย given here.
  • Download and setup Android SDK on your computer so that you have a working ADB and Fastboot. ย If you new to such things, you can refer to our guides on the topic: Guide 1, Guide 2
  • Download the stock RUUย file in Zip for theย Verizon HTC One M8:ย 0P6BIMG.zipย (stockย pre-rootedย KitKat 1.55.605.2)
  • Go to Settings> Power and turn off Fastboot option.

Restore Verizon HTC One M8 to Stock

So you think you have made all the preparations mentionedย above? Great! Now here are the instructionsย toย restore Verizon HTC One M8 back to stock ROM.

Method 1

  1. Download the RUU file and copy it the Android/sdk/platform-tools folder where ADB and Fastboot files are located. The location of this directory depends on where you have installed the Android SDK.
  2. Connect your Verizon HTC One M8 to computer via USB.
  3. Move the mouse pointer to an empty space in the platform-toolsย folder and then press Shift key+Right click on the mouse. Select Open command window here option to launch cmd prompt.
  4. Just to make sure that you have set up ADB properly and your computer can communicate with your phone, type the following command in the cmd window and press Enter key:
    adb devices
  5. If you see the serial number of your device on the cmd, all’s fine. If you get some error message, you need to check your USB drivers and ADB setup again.
  6. Now reboot your HTC One M8 into Bootloader mode. You can do it using Volume Down+Power keys manually, or by issuing the following command:
    adb reboot bootloader
  7. When youย get onย the bootloader screen, scroll to FASTBOOT option and select it using the Power button. To test Fastboot, type the following command in the cmd:
    fastboot devices
  8. Since we are using a RUU file to install the stock ROM, boot the device into RUU mode. To do this, simply type this command:
    fastboot oem rebootRUU
  9. When your phone is in RUU mode, you’ll see the HTC logo on the screen.
  10. Okay, it’s time now to install the RUU file. Just type the command given below. Please note that the red text in the command line is the name of the RUU file. If you have an RUU file with a different name, you’ll have to replace the red text with the name of the file you have.
    fastboot flash zip 0P6BIMG.zip
  11. Now you’ll see a green progress bar at the bottom of the phone’s screen showing installation status.
  12. Now throw your eyes on the output message on theย cmd window. If you see any message asking you to reboot or flush, issue the following command and start again from Step 7.
    fastboot reboot-bootloader
  13. When you get success/finished message on the cmd, you can reboot your device by typing the following command:
    fastboot reboot
  14. Wait till your HTC One M8 boots up.

 

Method 2

If you find theย Method 1 too complicated for you, we got a much easier way of installing the stock ROM back toย your Verizon HTC One M8. The following method is also suitable for those who do not have access to a computer. However, the is one step when you might need a computer.

  1. The method requires an external SD card. If you already have it format it to FAT32. This is actually the default mode of formatting memory drives on Windows.
  2. Now copy the RUU file (0P6BIMG.zip) to the memory card.
  3. Reboot your HTC One M8 into the Bootloader mode by pressing and holding the Volume Down and Power buttons for 2-3ย seconds.
  4. Your device will automatically detect the RUU file and you’ll see installation prompts on your phone’s screen.
  5. Just follow the onscreen instruction and the RUU will be installed to your device within a few minutes.

Congrats, you have successfullyย restored your Verizon HTC One M8 to pre-rootedย stock ROM withย stock recovery! Do not forget to share you experience with the RUU installation procedures described above. Cheers!

Credits:ย dottat @ xda

Tags: How to Guides HTC One M8 HTC One M8 Tips and Tricks Restore to Stock Firmware

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Reader Interactions

Discussion

  1. Jun 20, 2016 at 9:36 PM
    Ricardianos says:
    Reply

    I have a bricked htc one m8 verizon. It stucks in the verizon red screen. I’m trying to flash a RUU file but everytime says: “invalid sparse file format at header magi” can somebody telling me if there is a solution or i just have to thro away my phone?

    • Jun 20, 2016 at 4:07 AM
      Rakesh says:
      Reply

      Try this RUU.

  2. Jan 24, 2015 at 10:06 PM
    Jimmy Nguyen says:
    Reply

    Wow, brings you back to 4.4.2. Was looking for 4.4.4

  3. Oct 28, 2014 at 5:11 AM
    humayun sd says:
    Reply

    Hello Guys,

    How are you?

    Last night i connected my phone to my Mac and the HTC Desktop manager notified me of a new update which i assume was 4.4.4 update ( Eye Experience ), after the update was installed on the phone via HTC Desktop manager the phone is stuck in a continuous reboot loop which starts with the HTC Logo screen and ends with a dark grey screen with Red Triangle warning. Picture Attached.

    I have managed to enter recovery mode on the phone. The phone is not Rooted, S-On, Bootloader Locked, is it possible to flash a Custom Rom without Rooting, S-Off & Unlocking Bootloader as the phone is in recovery mode or can i only install a Verizon HTC M8 Rom?
    Please help as i am without a phone since last night.
    Regards,

    • Oct 28, 2014 at 8:08 AM
      Rakesh says:
      Reply

      Try a data factory reset and you would be able to boot the device normally.

      • Oct 28, 2014 at 8:56 AM
        humayun sd says:
        Reply

        I have done a factory Reset and nothing happens! What do i do?

        • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:24 AM
          Rakesh says:
          Reply

          Then gain S-Off and flash the RUU, or root and install a recovery and flash a custom ROM.

          https://www.droidviews.com/root-achieve-s-off-and-install-cwm-twrp-on-verizon-htc-one-m8/

          • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:30 AM
            humayun sd says:

            My device is not rooted, my pc doesnt recognize my htc m8 when i connect it to the pc it says MTP driver failed to install. How do i install a recovery and flash custom rom? How do i S-Off and Root? Please see the image i have attached in my previous reply. Thanks

          • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:39 AM
            Rakesh says:

            Uninstall the USB drivers and reinstall it: https://www.droidviews.com/android-usb-drivers-samsung-motorola-sony-lg-zte-htc-asus-huawei-acer/

            You can use Firewater method to gain S-OFF and then use the instructions given on our guide to root and install recovery. Since your device is not able to boot, flash the recovery first, copy the SuperSU zip file to the memory card and flash it via TWRP/CWM: http://download.chainfire.eu/supersu

          • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:53 AM
            humayun sd says:

            Thank you is it possible to root HTC M8 Verizon 4.4.2? Verizon Bootloader cannot be unlocked via HTCDEV verizon doesnt allow it so how do i unlock Bootloader? Thank you so much for the help.

          • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:57 AM
            Rakesh says:

            See this: https://www.droidviews.com/root-achieve-s-off-and-install-cwm-twrp-on-verizon-htc-one-m8/

          • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:43 AM
            Rakesh says:

            Boot the device into the Bootloader> Fastboot mode and you should be able to use fastboot commands.

          • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:56 AM
            humayun sd says:

            Could you please share some info on how to use fastboot commands?

          • Oct 28, 2014 at 11:58 AM
            Rakesh says:

            See this page: https://www.droidviews.com/root-achieve-s-off-and-install-cwm-twrp-on-verizon-htc-one-m8/2/

            To setup adb and fastboot: https://www.droidviews.com/tag/adb-and-fastboot/

  4. Oct 28, 2014 at 9:44 PM
    Salvador Martinez says:
    Reply

    First, I’d like to say that I love this page… You guys do a real good job on explaining how to do certain things on our phone… My question is, if I perform the second method on my phone, will my phone be relocked when its done? What about s-off? And since it will have the stock recovery and its a pre rooted rom, I just have to flash a custom recovey, am I right? Thanks in advance….

    • Oct 28, 2014 at 3:16 AM
      Rakesh says:
      Reply

      Thanks for the appreciation! Both the methods require S-OFF which will remain there on the device even after flashing the stock firmware. No, the phone will not be relocked and if you install a pre-rooted ROM and already have S-OFF, you can flash a custom recovery right away. Hope it helps!

      • Oct 29, 2014 at 10:50 PM
        Salvador Martinez says:
        Reply

        Thanks for the response…. I thought that in order for me to flash a custom recovery, my bootloader had to be unlocked but in your response you just mentioned the S-OFF… So for me it was in this order, first you get S-OFF, then you unlock the bootloader and then im able to flash a custom recovery. One last question, im learning and i want to keep learning and i also saw the pre requisites, but im not really interested in the 4.4.4 update but when the 5.0 Lollipop RUU, hopefully, gets released, thats the one I’d like to install… So can i jump from firmware 4.4.3 to 5.0 via this method without any incovinience? Thanks.

        • Oct 29, 2014 at 2:39 AM
          Rakesh says:
          Reply

          Yes, if get the Android 5.0 RUU, you can flash it on 4.4.3 without issues. I would recommend avoiding 4.4.4 update because it has WiFi connectivity issues on various models.

          You can refer to our detailed guide on achieving S-OFF, root and install a custom recovery: https://www.droidviews.com/root-achieve-s-off-and-install-cwm-twrp-on-verizon-htc-one-m8/

          • Oct 29, 2014 at 11:10 AM
            Salvador Martinez says:

            Thanks a lot.

  5. Oct 18, 2014 at 6:43 AM
    Christian A. says:
    Reply

    Hello,
    So I have a rooted htc one m8 and i accidentally OTA updated it to android 4.4.3. Now i have no su access but the device still says its rooted technically. Su wont update because it says there are no SU binaries installed. I dont have a recovery mode because the device wont recognize that it has SU access. I tried the method listed above but it wouldnt work so i tried the second method through the sd card and it will just say wrong img on the bootloader screen any help??

  6. Oct 9, 2014 at 7:34 AM
    humayun sd says:
    Reply

    Hello How are you?

    I have a Verizon M8 Android Version 4.4.3. Software Number 2.21.605.2. How can i install HTC Stock and get rid of Verizon Rom on my mobile?

    • Oct 14, 2014 at 3:49 PM
      Rakesh says:
      Reply

      You’ll not be able to do that but you install CM or Paranoid Android though.

  7. Jul 25, 2014 at 4:37 AM
    LOLFanboysaredumb says:
    Reply

    What about an RUU that doesn’t have root? I have to send my HTC back to HTC not verizon. Bought the phone out of contract and I’m not with Verizon anymore. I don’t feel comfortable sending this back to HTC with SU installed, regardless of the S-ON and LOCKED bootloader.

    • Jul 25, 2014 at 7:33 AM
      Rakesh says:
      Reply

      Unfortunately, the stock RUU without root is not available yet. I searched for it again but did not find any. HTC does not officially provide an RUU repository for users. Most of them are compiled from leaks and other sources.

      • Sep 22, 2014 at 1:53 PM
        DOTTAT says:
        Reply

        I am the creator of this work. Noticed you don’t give credit or ask before sharing.

        • Sep 22, 2014 at 2:02 PM
          Rakesh says:
          Reply

          Hi, I do apologize for that. We usually do that but we somehow missed the credit part here. We have mentioned the source though.

          Anyway, we can correct things now. Sorry!

          • Sep 22, 2014 at 2:07 PM
            DOTTAT says:

            Also, I posted one now that is not pre-rooted on XDA.

          • Sep 23, 2014 at 7:14 PM
            Rakesh says:

            Thanks for the info! We’d update the tutorial. ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Oct 22, 2014 at 3:56 AM
        Christian A. says:
        Reply

        So if I have a soft bricked HTC one m8 Verizon with only fastboot working, locked boot loader, and S-on, I will not be able to flash any stock ruus to unbrick my phone? Its a hunk of metal?

        • Oct 22, 2014 at 4:11 AM
          Rakesh says:
          Reply

          No, it’s not like that. It depends on the type of firmware. If you have an unmodified firmware, you do not need S-Off. To install any modified firmware, you will have to S-off the phone first.

          • Oct 22, 2014 at 4:19 AM
            Christian A. says:

            Well where would I find an unmodified firmware? That’s the problem Im having. It always read 12 signature read failed whenever I try to flash anything.

          • Oct 22, 2014 at 4:46 AM
            Rakesh says:

            Since Verizon does not provide its firmwares officially, it’s hard to find the unmodified RUU.

            See here: http://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads/P00

  8. Jul 11, 2014 at 6:47 PM
    Patrick Schay says:
    Reply

    i get stuck at fastboot flash zip 0P6BIMG.zip, i don’t get a green progress bar and the cmd prompt states “FAILED (remote: 32 header error)

  9. Jun 7, 2014 at 11:49 AM
    Rakesh says:
    Reply

    Here’s our guide: https://www.droidviews.com/restore-t-mobile-htc-one-m8-to-stock/

  10. May 22, 2014 at 3:48 PM
    Rakesh says:
    Reply

    Thanks for sharing!

  11. May 16, 2014 at 4:52 AM
    Monomojao says:
    Reply

    Can you advise if there is a RUU for Tmobile variant?

    • May 22, 2014 at 11:39 AM
      Rakesh says:
      Reply

      Unfortunately, RUU for the TMO variant is not available yet. When it’s there, we’ll cover that too.

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