How to flash a Windows smartphone: step-by-step instructions. Changing windows mobile to android

  • 11.12.2021

Articles and Lifehacks

Many users are interested in how to increase functionality Windows phone, how to flash telephone. Although some mobile phone owners may be satisfied with knowledge, others go further, trying to improve their device. Typically, firmware improves the functionality of devices, opening up a variety of possibilities for users to use.

Why does Windows phone need firmware?

To increase the functionality of your phone (teach you how to install new applications, download and transfer files), you need to flash Windows phone. This is a kind of update for devices, existing in 2 types:

Official firmware, which is created by official developers (mostly, they are suitable for new models of gadgets);

Custom firmware released by popular developers (they are regularly updated and are suitable for many device models, regardless of the release date).

When starting to install the firmware, think carefully about the feasibility of this procedure. The firmware itself is preceded by a preparatory stage. Before performing the firmware, you must make sure that the battery is fully charged (at least 80%), and Qualcomm is unlocked on the device. If you do something incorrectly (for example, your phone dies while flashing the firmware), then after flashing the firmware you may end up with a non-functional device, voiding the warranty. Such a problem will be corrected only in a specialized center: after all, this is not such an ordinary task as in a regular phone.

How to properly flash Windows phone

How to flash Windows phone, where to start? The firmware process begins with downloading the program (on behalf of the Administrator) Lumia Downloader. To do this, right-click on the executable file and select “Run”.

After launching the firmware program, the device begins to boot. After canceling the formatting of the device’s disk, you need to press the power button along with the volume. After a short vibration, the device must be connected to the PC.

After completing the operation, you need to load the device's bootloader. Now you should take the device out of download mode. To do this, you need to turn off the phone and disconnect USB from it. Then turn on the device with the volume up button held down until a short vibration appears and connect the device to the computer via USB.

For the firmware to work correctly, you need to reset all settings. The noticeable disadvantage of this action is that all information and settings will disappear, but they can be easily restored. The process of flashing Windows phone is quite simple, but there is a risk of completely breaking the device, turning it into a “brick”. You should weigh everything well, and then get down to business.

There are people who constantly find something to complain about about the Windows Phone OS. Some criticize the platform for its annoying tiled interface, while others find the reasons for what they consider to be an insufficiently diverse application store. You can argue about these two topics for quite a long time, but there is one circumstance with which it is completely pointless to argue: Windows Phone- the simplest and most convenient mobile operating system. And this manifests itself not only during use, but even if the smartphone for some reason fails.

Usually the term “firmware” is associated with a complex and very risky process, which can only make the situation worse. But in the case of Windows Phone, the situation is radically different. Never before has flashing a mobile device been so easy. Unlike the good old Symbian or the super popular Android, to flash a Winphone firmware you don’t have to do a lot of manipulation with firmware files, do magic in the flash program menu, setting the desired mode, unlock the bootloader, etc. Without exaggeration, Windows Phone firmware can be installed by anyone, even an inexperienced user.

Why do you need flashing?

First of all, flashing may be necessary in case of some large-scale software problems, for example, if the smartphone freezes during an update and even the treasured combination of “volume down button + lock” (+ camera button, possibly with the memory card removed from the smartphone) cannot save you from this ). In addition, flashing the firmware will be useful if you, but want to return to the native firmware because of the dampness of the update.

Before flashing

Before flashing the firmware, if the smartphone is working, do not forget to back up your important data so that you can then restore photos, videos, applications, achievements and settings, including Notification Center and desktop settings, on the already flashed device. You can check the availability of backups and make a new one by going to “Settings” -> “Backup”.


How to flash Windows Phone

Regardless of the model that needs to be flashed, to upload the firmware to a Windows Phone smartphone you will need one single program installed on your computer. You do not need to download any additional files. Everything you need for your model, program Windows Phone Recovery Too l will download itself. You will only need to click on a special button and wait a few minutes until the flashing process is completed.

You can download WP Recovery Tool from the Microsoft website at go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=522381. The program (at the time of writing this post) weighs just over two megabytes and is extremely easy to install.

After launching, the utility will first check for new versions and then greet you with a window asking you to connect your smartphone to your computer. WP Recovery Tool does not work with all Winphones, so if your model is not on the list of supported ones, you will immediately know about it as soon as you connect the device to your PC.


If the phone is not detected, you can try clicking the appropriate link in the program window, and then the utility will try to find a solution.


Also make sure that your smartphone has installed the necessary drivers on your computer. If the drivers are installed, but the smartphone is still not detected, reboot it without disconnecting it from the computer. Sometimes the reboot process provokes the installation of additional software.

In our case, the device was successfully detected:


Click on the tile with the name of the identified phone. The program will scan the model for important data and start the process of downloading the latest firmware from official servers.

The size of the firmware can exceed a gigabyte, so you may have to be patient. If the download suddenly stops halfway, do not be upset, because when you reconnect to the Internet and even after restarting the computer, the download will continue from the same point where it stopped last time.

In the future, if you need to reflash the Winphone again, you won’t have to download the firmware for it again, because it is automatically saved in one of the folders on your PC.

When the program finishes downloading the firmware, it will display active button"Reinstall software". This means that the smartphone is ready for firmware. Make sure your USB connection is secure before clicking Reinstall software».


The smartphone will turn off and the software reinstallation process will begin.

During the firmware installation process, it is prohibited to disconnect the smartphone from the computer, forcefully turn on the smartphone, or press any buttons on it. WP Recovery Tool itself warns about this, among other things. The whole process will take a few minutes. Once the process is complete, the phone will turn on on its own, but keep in mind that the first startup will take a little longer than usual.

Now all you have to do is activate and configure your smartphone, as you once did when buying it in a store. Connect to the WiFi network when prompted by your smartphone and sign in to your Microsoft account. After this, the system will check if you have backups and, if any, will offer to restore from them. Select an available copy, click “Forward” and wait until the Winphone takes the form you saw it before flashing. You also have the right not to restore the backup, but to start working with the phone again.

Modern man is designed in such a way that he is constantly in a state of critical attitude towards surrounding objects. No matter how original the proposal, after a certain period of time, something begins to not suit you, and you will want to replace something.

To update the system, the developers provided special software

This is exactly the case with the Windows Phone operating system. Many users are critical of such an OS due to the fact that the official store contains a small number of applications that could be installed on a smartphone. In any case, Windows Phone is a successful operating system that allows you to do many things, and also effectively competes with Android and Symbian.

Windows Phone firmware is an opportunity to make dramatic changes for an HTC device, increasing its versatility, performance and other important parameters.

Many users associate the word “firmware” with complex technical actions, since it is still fresh in their memory how the firmware of Windows Phone was carried out on Android. Then it was necessary to install flash programs, search for and download firmware files, and perform complex manipulations to set the desired mode. Firmware for Windows Phone on Android was indeed accompanied by incredible difficulties, so many preferred to resort to outside help rather than do it themselves. Fortunately, at present, the flashing process for HTC smartphones is not accompanied by problems, as a result, even a beginner who has first studied all the instructions can do it.

What to do before starting the process

Those owners of HTC gadgets who have begun to notice serious software glitches in the operation of their favorite device want to install Windows Phone firmware. There is also an active desire to reflash Windows Phone when, during an update of system files, an unforeseen circumstance arises as a result of which the tablet freezes and does not respond to any resuscitation actions.


In order for the HTC Windows Phone firmware to be successfully installed on your favorite mobile device, you should carry out some preparatory steps.

First of all, you need to create a new backup, which will allow you to restore the settings if there is an urgent need for this. It is also advisable to back up the content stored on the memory card of your HTC device. Such actions can only be performed when the gadget is in working condition.


It is very important to ensure that the battery charge is maximum. You cannot allow your smartphone to turn off unexpectedly during the firmware process.

Due to the fact that there are times when the electricity in the apartment can turn off at the most inopportune moment, workshop users recommend flashing gadgets based on both Android and HTC using a laptop with a full battery charge or a computer that is connected to alternative power sources.

Windows Phone firmware process

Having studied the instructions on how to change the firmware on a Windows Phone, it will become absolutely clear that in order to successfully implement your plan, you will need to download and install only one program on your computer - Windows Phone Recovery Tool. The system engineers made sure that no problems arose when using the utility, so that the firmware process was not accompanied by the difficulties faced by users who wanted to flash Android.


Windows Phone Recovery Tool is truly unique and easy to use. It independently searches and downloads all the required files. The user only needs to start the firmware process of the HTC smartphone and patiently wait for its successful completion.

Flashing using Windows Phone Recovery Tool

Of course, you should initially download the Windows Phone Recovery Tool utility, then install it immediately. This completes the preparatory work, and the user can begin practical flashing activities.

First you should run Windows Phone Recovery Tool, after the first launch the program will check for updates. If an outdated version of the utility was downloaded, the user will be prompted to update it immediately. Of course, we must agree with this.


After a successful update or in the case when the program does not need updating, a window will appear on the screen in which you will be asked to connect the HTC gadget to the computer.


Unfortunately, WPRecovery Tool does not work with all device models, so if the required model is not in the list, it will be pointless to continue the process. You will need to close the program and search alternative ways, allowing you to flash the gadget, perhaps using the analogy of how Android is flashed.

Fortunately, in most cases, the user will still detect the model of his smartphone and will be able to use the functionality of the WPRecovery Tool.

So, next you need to connect the smartphone to the PC, after which the program will confirm the successful connection. If this does not happen, you should check whether the drivers for the device are installed on the smart machine. It is recommended to restart the electronic computer without disconnecting the gadget from the computer. Very often this contributes to the additional installation of missing drivers.


After the drivers are installed, the smartphone model will be determined in the program window. Then WPRecovery Tool will independently start a search, and then download the current firmware version from official resources. The download process may take a long time, it all depends on the Internet speed and the size of the firmware file. Very often the size exceeds 1 GB. The good thing is that if the Internet connection is interrupted, the download process is suspended, but after resuming, the download continues from the point where it ended.


The successful completion of the firmware download will be indicated by the “Reinstall software” button in the utility window. It indicates that absolutely everything is ready for the firmware process. The user must once again make sure that the device is securely connected via USB to the computer, and then click on the “Reinstall software” button.


After pressing the button, the process starts and the smartphone turns off. You cannot take any actions during the firmware; you should wait patiently until the process is completed. It is advisable to note that you will not have to wait long, since the process lasts several minutes. Once completed, the gadget will turn on and be ready for further use. Of course, you will have to make some settings on it again to adapt them to yourself. At this point, the firmware process is considered completely completed.


So, using the WPRecovery Tool program, any user can flash a smartphone. By confidently following the instructions, the user will not even find any problems.

Why might you need to flash your device? How to change the operating system? We will try to answer all the questions as clearly as possible. If your phone starts to work slowly or you want to change the operating system, you can reflash it from windows mobile to android. The developers made sure that everyone could do this on their own. And we, in turn, will help you solve this problem: how to flash Android on Windows.

Your phone is a mini-computer that performs fewer functions than a regular one and has slightly different functions. Standard software is installed by the manufacturer. If you are not satisfied with it, you can update them to newer ones or change them.

How to flash windows mobile on android yourself?

In fact, many are not happy with the limitations of the Windows Mobile operating system, therefore, in order not to buy a new smartphone, you can upgrade it to the Android operating system.

You will have to select the software for your smartphone yourself, because not all versions of Android may be suitable for your Windows Mobile. You can select it using the program directories where they are detailed description(you can find them on specialized websites or on forums). You should be aware that for some smartphones it may not be possible operating system Android.

You can make transferring files easier by using a program called Sprite Migrate. Install the program on Windows mobile, mark the necessary data for saving and copy it to your computer where the converter for Android is installed, then load the result onto the SDcard in your communicator, the Sprite Migrate program will be installed on the device itself and import the data.

There are no difficulties in flashing Android firmware on Windows Mobile. The main thing is to follow all the points specified in the instructions and the process of reinstalling new software will be simple. Firmware mobile device V service center may take several days, since you will need to wait for your turn, and at home for several hours. And now you know how to upgrade Android to Windows.

Many users are wondering how to reflash Windows Phone, which is often associated with system failures or the need to switch to another OS. It is possible to flash a smartphone or tablet running Windows OS on Android, but you will certainly encounter certain difficulties.

First, you will need to download the Rom version of Android, a USB cable to connect to a PC, and Root rights on the gadget that you will be flashing. In addition, there is a special emulator program with which you can work with applications in the "apk" format. And if you are a fan of the Android interface, then you can download the corresponding launcher for free, which fully replicates the style of icons and many of the system’s functions. Now let's figure it out how to flash Windows Phone to Android and what difficulties you may encounter on the path to success.

Flashing Windows Phone to Android

Now technology has come so far that a modern phone is actually not inferior in its capabilities to a desktop computer and may even have additional functionality. Standard software is loaded by the manufacturer, but unfortunately it does not always suit users, and therefore the question becomes relevant how to flash Windows Phone to Android on one's own? If desired, you can even install another operating system by downloading the appropriate firmware. But first, we recommend that you make a backup copy of the system, so that if something happens, you can restore the functionality of the device. To do this, you can use the standard functionality of the device or use a third-party application.

We would recommend the Titanium Backup program. If something goes wrong during the firmware installation or you want to return to the previous version of the system, then a copy will cope with this task. Reflash Windows Phone 10 You can do it yourself, but it is important to act in full compliance with our instructions, otherwise you risk getting a brick.

Why is it so important to back up your data?

During firmware flashing, all data stored in the device memory is erased. Using a copy, they can be restored to an already flashed phone. This way you will save your photos, videos, pictures, documents and other files. To make sure you have backups, you need to go to the phone settings section and look at the “Backups” tab.

Question how to reflash a Windows Phone sometimes it encounters certain difficulties, because there are many models on this operating system, but in general the method of flashing them is the same. You have two options: install Android on the device’s USB flash drive or run the installation file directly from the Windows OS, installing it into the device’s memory.

Running Android OS on a Windows Phone flash drive

Users have questions every now and then Is it possible to reflash Windows Phone? and fortunately the answer to it will be positive. If you want the new OS to be accessible from a flash drive, you will need to copy all Android system folders to one of the root folders of the flash drive. The folder can be arbitrary. It is important to pay attention to the default.txt file as well as its contents. It contains all the data necessary for the normal startup of the system.

When you enable the Haret.exe file, the device reloads the operating system using the settings of the default.txt file. Even if the OS is copied to a memory card, you will be able to use native Windows only after restoring your smartphone from a backup. It will return to the point where you created the backup file. When using this installation method, device reboots may occur.

Instructions for flashing Windows Phone firmware on Android

  • We get root rights to the phone;
  • We format the flash drive, create a folder in it and give it the name andboot. In the firmware we find the file androidinstall.tar and androidupdate.tar, but the latter is not always available. Copy them to the newly created folder;
  • We connect the device to the computer without a flash drive. On the PC, create a folder and copy Custom and the .nbh file into it;
  • We turn on the application from the Custom RUU folder and follow the further instructions that appear on the display;
  • We install the memory card into the device and simultaneously press the volume “-” button and the power key. We wait until the message “Hold down Volume Up or DPad center to launch installer” is displayed, then press “+” on the volume;
  • In the menu that appears, click Sys on NAND/Data on NAND. Just below, select the Install System item and wait until the system installation is completed. If the androidupdate.tar file was copied to the flash drive, then click Install Update and wait until you return to the main menu. Now click Fix Permissions and wait;
  • Reboot the device and you're done. But the first start will be long.
  • Now you know Is it possible to reflash Android to Windows Phone? and how to do it correctly.

    After an unsuccessful update or a system failure of the operating system, the owner of a smartphone may have a question about how to reflash Windows Phone. Thanks to the efforts of Microsoft engineers and programmers, even an inexperienced user who has not previously encountered such situations can do this.

    Flashing Windows Phone is easy and simple

    So, to perform this procedure you will need a smartphone, a USB cable to connect to a computer and a program installed on the PC Windows Phone Recovery Tool, which can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website. The sequence of actions for flashing Windows Background is as follows:

    Step 1. Run the program " Windows Phone Recovery Tool»

    Step 2. Connect your smartphone to your computer and wait until the application recognizes it

    Step 3. Select the connected phone and view the available firmware versions for it.

    Step 4. Depending on the availability of the latest firmware version, the program will download it or offer to reinstall the existing OS on the smartphone

    Step 5. Confirm your intentions by pressing the " Continue", the user will start the process of flashing the device. This will take some time, and during this operation it is forbidden to disconnect the device from the computer and press any buttons on it.

    It is important to know: Reinstalling the operating system will delete all user settings and files from the smartphone. Therefore, before flashing the device, it is advisable to make a backup copy of important data.

    Step 6. Once the flashing is complete, the gadget will turn on and the user will be able to set all the necessary settings.

    Conclusion

    The Windows Mobile operating system is designed with an eye toward non-intervention for the average user. Therefore, install custom firmware or another OS on a device running under Windows control, it won’t work - you’ll have to be content with only official firmware.

    With the release of Windows 10 Build 10051 for smartphones, Microsoft missed one bug that allows you to install Windows Phone 8.1.2 before Windows installation 10 for smartphones, through the Windows Insider app. But officially this update can only be received on some smartphones, so here is the instruction on “How to install Windows Phone 8.1.2 on any Windows Phone smartphone.”

    Please note that this method is only valid for devices that support an SD card. We will look at the update process using the Samsung ATIV S as an example, but using this principle, theoretically, you can update any smartphone. Before you begin, remember that any damage to your device from such procedures is your sole responsibility. If you are not confident in your abilities, do not take risks.

    Instructions for all smartphones (tested on HTC 8S and Microsoft Lumia 535):

    1. In the utility, in the tweaks section, enable the Preview For Developer builds option and update the smartphone to the most latest version The OS it will find.
    2. Disable the Preview For Developer builds option.
    3. We edit the following registry keys:
      "PhoneManufacturer" = "ARCHOS"
      "PhoneMobileOperatorName" = "000-88"
      "PhoneManufacturerModelName" = "BUSHWindowsPhone"
    4. Go to settings->updates and try to find the update. If found 8.10.15137.148 , then this is Windows Phone 8.1.2.
    5. Install the found update.

    Instructions for Samsung:

    1. First, you need to install the registry editor on your smartphone. How to do this, read the article "".
    2. We make sure that the smartphone is flashed with CMJ1 firmware and the ATO CSC file (specific for Samsung devices). If not, update the device to the required firmware.
    3. Make sure your smartphone has at least the latest update installed 14157 , and the firmware version is not lower 2424.15.3.2 (Samsung specific).
    4. Go to the registry editor and change the following keys along the path HKLM\SYSTEM\Platform\DeviceTargetingInfo. " PhoneManufacturer" to "HIGHSCREEN", " PhoneManufacturerModelName" to "WinWin" and " PhoneMobileOperatorName" to "000-88".
    5. Go to device updates and download all available updates. Please note that if you previously had Preview for Developers or Windows Insider enabled, it is better to reset your phone.
    6. Downloading the update 14226 , this is exactly what is needed for the subsequent installation of Update 2.
    7. Download the Windows Insider application, launch it and select “Fast Ring” (single option).
    8. When everything is done, go to the phone settings and download Update 2.

    After completing the update, it is best to reset the settings in order to cleanly configure your device and disable the operation Windows applications Insider.