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Device: Google Pixel 2 XL (taimen)

Carrier: Unlocked (purchased from the Play store)

Image: image-taimen-opm1.171019.011.zip

Ultimately, I'm trying to root the phone by flashing a batched boot.img to the stock image, but I'm unable to flash any images, whether that's the patched boot.img, TWRP, or even the stock factory images themselves. I've already unlocked the bootloader, using fastboot flashing unlock_critical.

I am running the newest version of adb and fastboot, downloaded yesterday:

$ fastboot --version fastboot version 0.0.1-4500957 Installed as [REDACTED] $ adb version Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.39 Version 0.0.1-4500957 Installed as [REDACTED]

Here's what happens when I try to flash the stock factory images, downloaded straight from Google:

$ adb reboot bootloader $ ./flash-all.sh target didn't report max-download-size sending 'bootloader' (36344 KB)... FAILED (remote: Requested download size is more than max allowed ) finished. total time: 0.000s rebooting into bootloader... OKAY [ 0.000s] finished. total time: 0.201s target didn't report max-download-size sending 'radio' (60428 KB)... FAILED (remote: Requested download size is more than max allowed ) finished. total time: 0.000s rebooting into bootloader... OKAY [ 0.001s] finished. total time: 0.201s extracting android-info.txt (0 MB) to RAM... Warning: Could not determine slot for secondary images. Ignoring. extracting boot.img (40 MB) to disk... took 0.289s target didn't report max-download-size archive does not contain 'boot.sig' extracting dtbo.img (8 MB) to disk... took 0.039s archive does not contain 'dtbo.sig' archive does not contain 'dt.img' archive does not contain 'recovery.img' extracting system.img (1936 MB) to disk... archive does not contain 'system.sig' extracting vbmeta.img (0 MB) to disk... took 0.000s archive does not contain 'vbmeta.sig' extracting vendor.img (349 MB) to disk... took 4.445s error: Failed to identify current slot

Other commands fail with inconsistent error messages or failure modes. For example:

$ fastboot flash boot boot.img target didn't report max-download-size sending 'boot' (40960 KB)... FAILED (remote: Requested download size is more than max allowed ) finished. total time: 0.000s

If I retry with -S

$ fastboot -S 512K flash boot boot.img Invalid sparse file format at header magic sending sparse 'boot' 1/51 (508 KB)...

which hangs indefinitely, never sending the first segment.

I can try booting directly, which yields the same problem:

$ fastboot boot boot.img downloading 'boot.img'... # hangs indefinitely

Similarly:

$ fastboot --set-active=_a

will just hang indefinitely as well. I have to restart the bootloader to kill it, at which point it just prints the cryptic error: Device does not support slots (the Pixel 2 XL does support slots!).

The error messages aren't always consistent; sometimes the first fastboot flash boot boot.img command will appear to hang (requiring a restart, similar to --set-active) instead of printing the error message about max-download-size. I've let that run for about fifteen minutes before having to kill it. Unlike system.img, boot.img is only about 40MB, so it shouldn't take that long to flash - something is clearly wrong.

I've also tried this with multiple cables on different USB ports, with the same results.

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5 Answers 5

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Ultimately, I solved this by using a Macbook Pro with a USB-C to USB-C cable.

Previously, I had tried it with two different USB-A to micro-USB cables, using two different micro-USB to USB-C adapters, on a Linux laptop with two different USB-A ports and the then-latest version of fastboot/adb downloaded. Unfortunately, I can't be certain what the issue was, but since it happened consistently with multiple cables (and those cables still appear to be working), my guess is that there was a bug with the Linux version of adb/fastboot.

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  • For some reason I had the same issue, and I tried various USB cables, and only USB-C to USB-C cable that I bought solved it. Used Windows OS though . Seems to me that ever since USB-C came to the world, countless issues emerged with it. Commented Jul 11, 2019 at 8:47
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Are you tried to unlock using only "fastboot flashing unlock_critical" ? You need "fastboot flashing unlock" and then "fastboot flashing unlock_critical"

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I had this problem when I got my new Pixel 2 XL. And after I test three computers, I find that it is causing by my laptop USB ports. So this problem is not related to Windows or MacOS or Linux. And if I connect my phone to laptop through a hub, it works too.

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I had some similar weirdness with a lenovo x1 gen 5. The factory image installer would hang at the system image 4/5 and a few other wierdnesses.
I had been using a usb-C<>usb-C cable. When I changed to a usb-A->usb-C cable, the problems vanished.

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did you ever solve this? I have exactly the same issues top to bottom. thanks.

EDIT: wow tried my 5th cable and it worked. Used a USB 3.0 to C (Anker brand)

Used this... https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/development/tool-deuces-bootloop-recovery-flashing-t3704761

Made sure to install the Google USB driver

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