How to downgrade from B952 to GB

[Guest vhristenco]

Hi guys,

Since many people upgraded their G300s to B952 and I couldn't find any "beginners" tutorial on how to downgrade from B952 to GB, I decided to write one.

Remember, you are doing this at your own risk. Losing your original IMEI or having a power failure during this operation can (and will) eventually turn your phone into a doorstop.

All the files needed for this tutorial can be downloaded from HERE

Step 1: ICS Root

- depending on the OS you are using on your PC, extract the contents of the zip file to a temporary folder on your pc.

- on your phone, go to Settings > Developer options and make sure USB Debugging is ticked.

- connect the phone to PC using USB cable.

For Windows:

- launch RootG300.exe. When it finishes, your phone will reboot.

For Mac:

- launch terminal, go to the folder where you extracted the archive and enter the following commands:

chmod +x root-g300.sh

./root-g300.sh

For Linux:

- launch terminal, go to the folder where you extracted the archive and enter the following commands:

chmod +x root-g300.sh

sudo ./root-g300.sh

Step 2: Backup IMEI

- install the app ToolBox5iromV1.0.4.2.apk

- open the app, then press Backup IMEI (will ask for root permission)

- a new folder 5irom will be created in the root folder of the sdcard. Archive it and put it in a safe place (more copies will be even better)

Step 3: Zero IMEI

- extract the archive imei-0.rar to a folder on your pc

- copy the folder 5irom from the archive to the root of the sdcard, overwriting the one that was created at step 2

- open the app 5iromToolBox, the press Restore IMEI (will ask for root permission)

- press Reboot 8800 (the phone will restart in recovery mode, formatting data/cache)

NOTE: if you have a custom recovery installed, it's possible that the script will not be able to format data/cache (on cwm it doesn't). In that case you should format data/cache manually

Step 4: Flash middle package

- extract the dload folder from the archive to the root of the sdcard

- shutdown the phone, remove the battery, wait for 3 seconds then re-insert it.

- press the Volume UP and Volume DOWN buttons, then power on the phone.

- a pink progress bar will appear when flashing middle package. When it finishes, the phone will reboot.

Step 5: Flash B882

- extract the dload folder from the archive to the root of the sdcard (overwrite the previous one)

- shutdown the phone, remove the battery, wait for 3 seconds then re-insert it.

- press the Volume UP and Volume DOWN buttons, then power on the phone.

- a pink progress bar will appear when flashing middle package. When it finishes, the phone will reboot.

NOTE: this will take longer to complete than step 4

Step 6: Root GB

- depending on the OS you are using on your PC, extract the contents of the zip file to a temporary folder on your pc.

- go to Settings > Applications and make sure Unknown Source is ticked

- of to Settings > Applications > Development and make sure USB Debugging is ticked

- shutdown the phone, remove the battery, wait for 3 seconds, then re-insert it.

- power on the phone while keeping the Volume Down button pressed (keep it pressed for about 30 seconds).

- connect the phone to PC using USB cable.

For Windows:

- launch GingerbreadRoot.exe. When it finishes, your phone will reboot.

For Mac:

- launch terminal, go to the folder where you extracted the archive and enter the following commands:

chmod +x root-g300.sh

./root-g300.sh

For Linux:

- launch terminal, go to the folder where you extracted the archive and enter the following commands:

chmod +x root-g300.sh

sudo ./root-g300.sh

Step 7: Restore IMEI

- install the app ToolBox5iromV1.0.4.2.apk

- open the app, then press Backup IMEI (will ask for root permission)

- close the app

- copy the original imei files (the 5irom folder that you backed up at step 2) to the root of the sdcard, overwriting the previous one.

- open the app, then press Restore IMEI (will ask for root permission)

- press Reboot U8800 (phone will restart in recovery mode, formatting data/cache)

Step 8: Upgrade

- I recommend upgrading via OTA to B895 (B882 -> B888 -> B892 -> B895)

As some people are having trouble upgrading via OTA to B895, I added a folder containing an untouched version of B895 (just as it came from Huawei). To flash it, repeat steps 5-6, flashing B895 at step 5 instead of B892.

Final note: I found this to be the "cleanest" way of downgrading to GB. It will work for any version of ICS/JB. There are faster ways of doing this but I found this to be the only one that restores the phone to a version that is upgradeable via OTA.

Enjoy!

Edited May 27, 2013 by vhristenco

[Guest denzele]

One question mate..why do you zero IMEI in first place? I downgraded so many times before successfully and never use that option...

[Guest vhristenco]

Because middle package won't flash on B952 without zero-ing IMEI.

[Guest denzele]

Upgraded to B952 then downgraded to B895 GB I think it was then upgrade to B952 again...no zeroing or anything involved...not once dozen times ..that's the reason for asking mate :)...

[Guest vhristenco]

Already tried that (it was the first thing I tried, actually) and it didn't work for me and it seems not to work for others, too. Maybe you're one lucky guy :)

Vodafone officially states there's no way to downgrade from B952 to GB. So I wrote this howto especially for the people who asked Vodafone about the downgrade and got the same answer I did. :D

[Guest denzele]

Well my luck ran out on first phone ( bricked because of unlockbootloader.exe on GB ) second replacement ( this is Australia here :) ) upgrade to B944 first then downgrade to GB few times ( UK one B895 ) then upgrade again to B952 after flashing relock bootloader by jsevi phone got stuck on some signature fail crap only way to fix it was downgrade back to GB B895 again...so yeah maybe I'm lucky after all..:)

[Guest pen69mod]

Hey vhristenco, thanks for taking the time to write out this tutorial.

It's really appreciated.

I know from my research that there are many of us who are now in need of this, after upgrading to ICS without giving any thought to what would happen if we never liked it.

I'm going to read it through about 100 times before going ahead. ;)

I have a couple questions prepared already, and there's a couple more I need to think about.

I'll post them here when I'm ready.

Cheers bro.

Thanks again for your help.

Edited May 20, 2013 by pen69mod

[Guest pen69mod]

Hi again vhristenco.

Could you clarify a few things please?

Cheers.

step 1. Do I remove the phone from the pc after launching RootG300.exe.

step 2. I’ve only ever installed apps straight from googleplay. How do I install this? And is the phone still connected to the pc at this point?

When you say “archive folder 5irom”, do you mean copy it to a safe place on the pc?

Step 4. When powering on the phone in step 4, is the phone still connected to the pc at this point?

In fact, could you add to the guide when the phone is connected to the pc, and when to remove it, because as I read through it, I can’t work out when it should be connected & when it shouldn’t.

Is the phone returned to the exact state as I received it from Vodafone?

I don’t understand what “rooting” is, but considering this method uses a “RootG300.exe” file, does this mean the phone ends up rooted?

If so, I guess that voids the warranty?

Edited May 22, 2013 by pen69mod

[Guest vhristenco]

Hi pen69mod,

As a rule, the phone needs to be connected to the pc only when you are launching an app on the pc (e.g. when you are rooting).

So, before launching the app RootG300.exe at step 1, you need to make sure the phone is connected to the pc.

At step 2, you need to copy the .apk somewhere on the sdcard (copy via usb or remove the sdcard and insert it into pc's card reader, it doesn't matter), then, in Settings>Applications make sure "Unknown sources" is ticked. After that, open a file manager on phone, browse to the folder you copied the .apk file into and launch it.

When I said "archive folder 5irom" i meant to compress the folder into a .zip or .rar archive (or whatever format you prefer) and copy the archive into multiple safe places (computer/usb/dvd). The point is... if, for some reason, you lose this file, you'll end up with a zero-imei phone that you won't be able to use in any mobile network.

At step 4 the phone doesn't need to be connected to the pc. Just make sure you copy the folder dload from the middle package archive to the root of your sdcard.

"Rooting" will enable the root user, that is the user with full-access permissions. That will allow you to modify system files (you need this for imei backup and restore), uninstall locked apps and much more.

After step 7, the phone will have the exact software it came with from Vodafone, but it will also be rooted. Of course, rooting will void your warranty. In fact, the whole process of downgrading (especially rooting and changing IMEI) is considered somehow "dangerous", but if you follow this tutorial step by step, you'll restore the phone to the original software it came with.

However, if you need/want an un-rooted phone (EXACTLY how it came from Vodafone) you can re-apply step 5 (flash B882) after step 7. And the funny thing is Vodafone will never know that you upgraded, downgraded, rooted, changed IMEI, etc. Basically you will "re-gain" you warranty.

[Guest pen69mod]

Thanks for all that extra detail vhristenco. I really appreciate it. :)

Right...... I think I'm gonna give it a shot.

If not tonight, then in the next day or two.

I will report back with how I got on.

Cheers man.

[Guest pen69mod]

Update.

After some initial problems (because I'm using XP, and for some reason the Windriver failed to work), I eventually completed it .

Turns out that it wasn't a Windriver issue, it was the fact that I wasn't using the original usb lead.

Anyway I wanted to backup everything to HiSuite before starting the downgrade, so the usb issue held me back for a few days before realising I was using an identical usb cable which didn't want to work. I eventually found the original usb cable.

So.....I followed the tutorial and am back on GB. Yeah!!

Thanks again vhristenco.

What would we do if good people didn't write tutorials to help us out?

Edit: I've just discovered that I now cannot connect to wifi since downgrade to GB. It worked at first and allowed me to accept OTA updates B888 & B892, but now I have no access to wifi since accepting B892 to look for the update to B895.

I have no normal signal here, and rely on the connection to wifi as I use a THREE "Home Signal Box" to get any reception at all for calls & txts.

It keeps reaching the stage of "Obtaining IP address", fails & repeatedly scans again in a never ending loop!!!

I've tried rebooting the phone & the router, re-entering the router password etc.

Any answers to this problem would make my day.

Cheers.

Edited May 27, 2013 by pen69mod

[Guest vhristenco]

I really don't think there's something wrong with your phone, since wifi was working before upgrading to B895 (and you upgraded via OTA).

Have you tried connecting another device to your router? Sounds like a DHCP problem to me.

The first thing I would try is resetting the router to default settings, then try again to connect to it.

[Guest pen69mod]

Hi again vhristenco. Thanks for replying.

Initially, after doing the downgrade, I think the version number was something like B885, and wifi must have been working because I accepted OTA upgrades via the wifi to B888 & then B892. It was definitely two updates to get me to B892.

But that is when the wifi stopped working.

The router is definitely working ok, because my laptop is working fine using the wifi router.

I did reset the router to see if it helped, but no luck.

My laptop still connects to it fine, but the phone is in a continual loop of:-

"scanning"

"obtaining IP address"

"disconnecting"

"scanning"

The phone wifi settings shows the router, with signal strength as "excellent". It just won't make a connection.

If you have any ideas, I'll keep an eye on this thread.

Cheers.

[Guest vhristenco]

Well, you could try connecting G300 to another wifi network to confirm there's a problem with the phone, not your router.

If you cannot connect to any wifi network, then you can try resetting the phone to default settings.(Settings > Privacy > Factory data reset).

If that doesn't solve the problem, put the device in recovery mode (power off, remove battery, wait for 3-4 seconds, then power it con while keeping the Volume UP button pressed). Then choose to "Format data/cache" (scroll using volume buttons) then confirm with the power button. After that, reboot.

BTW, you didn't restore any system files that you backed up on a previus rom, did you?

This behavior is strange... I downgraded quite a few G300s and none of them had this problem.

[Guest pen69mod]

Hi again.

So… I tried other wifi networks, and the same thing happens.

I done the factory reset. No change.

And I then done the recovery mode thing, formatting the data/cache. No change.

The only restore I done was via HiSuite which restored the apps, messages, email, accounts etc, and I’ve never used any other roms. I simply done the original update from GB to ICS using the package on the Huawei site.

If you have any ideas, I would welcome them, because I really need to get the wifi working.

Do you think I should go through your tutorial again? Is that even possible at this point?

Or could I update to ICS via the Huawei site again?

Or is there some other process/tutorial that I could carry out?

I really appreciate you advice by the way. I don’t know anyone with any knowledge of Andoid, so your help is REALLY appreciated.

Pen.

Edit: Ps. I forgot to say. If the worst happens, and I have to return it to Vodafone, Do I have to do any thing to the phone first. ie. "unroot it", or remove that "SuperSU App" which is on it, so they can't blame me for it's current state?

Edited May 29, 2013 by pen69mod

[Guest pen69mod]

I'm pretty certain it's a software thing, because like you said, it was working beforehand. And even now, its recognising the wifi and displaying excellent strength.

[Guest vhristenco]

In the link from the first post, you'll find an "optional" step 8, containing the untouched version of B895. Try to apply that upgrade.

And... as another rule, NEVER restore a backup you made on Android 4, to Android 2.

[Guest pen69mod]

I'm downloading that B895 in step 8 now.

Do you mean I should go through the whole 8 steps again, or just carry out step 5?

Or "middle package" step 4, then step 5?

I take on board that rule regarding backups.

It did cross my mind that restoring a backup from ICS to GB might cause problems, but for some reason I figured it was just apps & email etc, and it shouldn't cause any problems. BIG mistake hey.

Although the backup did work fine on B882 & B888. It's just that when the OTA for B892 installed, that's when the wifi had issues.

Thanks for getting back to me.

Edited May 29, 2013 by pen69mod

[Guest vhristenco]

just repeat step 5. no need to root again or restore anything :)

[Guest pen69mod]

Nice one.

I'll let you know what happens.

[Guest pen69mod]

Should it be taking so long?

Started 10 mins ago.

Pink bar has been stuck at about 1/3 way through for last 8 mins.

Update: Now about 20 mins.

Edited May 29, 2013 by pen69mod

[Guest vhristenco]

that usually means "update failed".

unfortunately, you'll have to go all the way to the beginning of the tutorial.

sorry mate, this is what happens when you restore ics apps to gb.

repeat feom step 1 (this time you may skip IMEI backup. you still have it, don't you?) and make sure you don't restore anything after taking all the steps.

[Guest pen69mod]

Damn, that's annoying!

Ok, I'll try going through it again.

I really appreciate your guidance. Thanks.

If you don't mind, can you keep an eye on this thread.

If I don't get the thing working (I'll probably have a shot at it later today), I would appreciate picking your brains for which course of action to pursue next.

Cheers bro.

[Guest vhristenco]

well, if you follow the steps in this tutorial, everything will work.

I recommend you to upgrade via OTA all the way from B882 to B895. And, of course, NEVER restore any baked-up apps.

I'll keep an eye on this thread.

[Guest pen69mod]

Hi again vhristenco.

As you’re aware, I know very little regarding androids etc, but is it possible you have uploaded the wrong files?

I only say this because I’ve just noticed (half way through after still having trouble getting the pink bar to reach the end) that the lock screen looks like the one here on cyanogenmod 7:-

with a lock symbol on the left, and the sound control on the right.

And in settings, as well as the settings icon, there is a Hammer/Spanner symbol that says Home Settings, where there is Theme Settings & Home settings.

This is some kind of mod isn’t it? I know I’ve not seen that on this phone since I’ve had it.

Could this be what’s causing the issues?

If so, could you advise me what to do know?

Cheers.