Flash Factory Firmware and Unbrick Motorola Device Using RSD Lite

RSDLite is one of the best flash tools you can use to flash factory firmware images on Motorola devices. Just as QPST and QFIL, RSD Lite flash tool can very easily unbrick Motorola android devices and load stock firmware on the same. And not only, RSD Lite can install SBF firmware files still although, perhaps no one needs to flash .sbf files these days.

So, if you have got some bricked Motorola devices and in need of Motorola unbrick tool, this is essentially what you need. Not just because it is the only official Motorola flash tool that has been around since a long time, but also because it is easier to use, lighter in size and less complex making it more noob friendly than other alternatives. Well, except you have tried Motorola rescue tool, which is more like a one-click-do-it-all; a better version of RSD Lite tool.

Before we proceed to the step by step guides on how to use RSD Lite tool, let us list out the prerequisites below:

• Stock firmware for the Motorola device you want to flash. Download Motorola firmware here.
• Motorola device drivers correctly installed on your PC. Download Motorola drivers here.
• Compatible USB Cable for the Motorola device.
• Stable and sufficient power supply both on the phone and the PC. CAUTION: unripe interruption of the flashing progress may hard brick your phone.
• A few minutes of your time; concentrated!

How to Flash, Unbrick and Reload Stock Factory Firmware Using RSD Lite Tool

1. Download Motorola USB Drivers and install it onto your PC. Read the drivers installations guide on that page to ensure that the drivers work properly on your Windows computer. You may SKIP to the next step if you have already installed the drivers.

2. Download RSD Lite tool from here. Except you need to flash .sbf firmware in which case you may need to download a specific version, otherwise, make sure you download the latest version of the flash tool from that page.

3. Now, extract the downloaded RSD Lite tool onto a folder on your PC. You may need 7zip extractor or similar programs to extract the Motorola flash tool.
4. Once the file is exrated, open the folder and you should see something similar to what is seen below:

5. Now, double-click on RSD lite tool and install it on your PC. In case you encounter issues, see RSD lite tool installation guide.

6. Supposedly, you have now successfully installed the tool on your computer, you can now launch the the tool. Here is what it looks like:

7. To begin flashing using RSD Lite, click on the Browse button and navigate to the folder where you have extracted the device stock firmware you supposedly have downloaded and select flashfile.xml within the firmware folder.

8. Once the file is loaded onto RSD Lite, details of the firmware should be displayed on the top-right hand side of the tool.

9. Now, boot the device you want to flash into fastboot mode. To boot to fastboot mode, power-off the phone, then press and hold-down both the Volume Down + Power keys at the same time for a few minutes.

10. Once the phone enters fastboot mode, connect the phone to the computer using its compatible USB cable.

11. Once the device is connected to the computer and recognised, it will appear in the devices list panel. Otherwise, be sure that the PC installs the drivers upon connecting the phone by attempting to reconnect it again.

12. Supposedly, the PC has recognised your phone and it is displayed in the devices list area, click on Start so that RSD Lite tool may commence the flashing procedures.

13. Usually, RSD lite takes around 10 minutes to install firmware on a device but that duration depends on the firmware size, PC speeds and others. Regardless, you just have to hold on while RSD lite installs the firmware.

14. After sometime, you should see "Finished" displayed on progress bar. Once that happens, the tool has completed flashing the firmware on the phone.

15. You have successfully flashed stock firmware on your Motorola device using RSD lite and you may now disconnect the phone from the PC. Note: first boot make a while to complete, just wait it out.

Note:

In the STEP 7, choosing flashfile.xml will erase all the userdata on your phone. Make sure you take a backup of whichever data you would want to preserve before flashing the phone.

While servicefile.xml preserves userdata, it is not often ideal to use it with RSD lite tool. Flash Tools such as Rescue tool, QPST or even, manually flashing the stock firmware via terminal can accomplish that fit better.

Frequently Asked Questions About RSD Lite Tool

1. Can I Use servicefile.xml in RSD Lite?

   No. Loading stock firmware using the servicefile.xml file parameters would make your Motorola device come out bootlooping once RSD Lite completes the flashing process. However, you may selectively flash Motorola device using the servicefile.xml manually using Windows command prompt, terminal or other similar tools.

2. What is the Difference Between servicefile.xml and flashfile.xml?

   The major difference between the two is; servicefile.xml selectively flashes only the core system files required to run the OS on the phone while flashfile.xml flashes everything including the userdata. Thus, by using servicefile.xml, you might still have some data preserved on the phone. But, with flashfile.xml, everything would be wiped clean.