Need to return your Nexus S back to T-Mobile your any other carrier for any reason? Well, you can unroot your Nexus S completely back to stock, very easy to do by following the step-by-step guide outlined here.
(For Nexus S 4G, please see How to Unroot Nexus S 4G.)
Step 1. Download the appropriate stock OTA zip file for your Nexus S.
Download this zip for i9020T and i9023 models:
Download i9020t_i9023.zip
Download this zip for i9020A:
Download i9020a.zip
Step 2. Copy the zip file to internal storage of your Nexus S.
Step 3. Power off your Nexus S then boot into bootloader by holding down both Volume Up and Power buttons. Choose “Recovery” and hit the Power button.
Step 4. You should be in ClockworkMod Recovery now, choose “install zip from sdcard” using Volume buttons then hit the Power button.
Step 5. Choose “choose zip from sdcard” then hit the Power button.
Step 6. Choose “i9020t_i9023.zip” OR “i9020a.zip” (depending on which file you copied over earlier) and hit the Power button.
Step 7. Choose “Yes” and hit the Power button.
Step 8. Your phone now should be updating itself with the stock OTA ROM.
Step 9. When install is complete, choose “Go Back” and hit Power button.
Step 10. Choose “Reboot system now” and hit the Power button to reboot.
Step 11. Turn off your Nexus S again and go back into bootloader by holding down Volume Up and Power button together. Then choose “recovery” and hit the Power button.
Step 12. Once you get the Android guy with exclamation mark, hit Volume Up and Power button at the same time until you get blue menus.
Step 13. Choose “wipe data/factory reset” and hit the Power button, this will erase all your personal data/apps/settings.
Step 14. Choose “Yes” and hit the Power button.
Step 15. Next, reboot your phone into bootloader by turning it off then holding down Volume Up and Power button together.
Step 16. Download fastboot.zip and unzip to your hard disk.
Then type:
For Windows:
cd \fastboot
For Linux or Mac:
cd /fastboot
Then type:
For Windows:
fastboot oem lock
For Mac:
./fastboot-mac oem lock
For Linux:
./fastboot-linux oem lock
You should see that the LOCK STATE on the Nexus S screen change from UNLOCKED to LOCKED.
That’s it, you’ve fully unrooted your Nexus S! Now, there might still be your files on the internal storage such as your photos, videos, and other personal files, just make sure you back them up before you return your phone.
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I have a stock 19020A Nexus S unrooted. Its just that…by bootloader is still unlocked……I want to lock it back. If I do, just lock it back, will it wipe my phone?
fastboot oem unlock
Thanks a lot man! I sent to my carrier and everything! They made it to factory reset but never locked it! Oh, God bless 😉
Hi, I rooted my nexus s successfully, short after my earpiece stopped working.
I unrooted it so i can send it in to get repaired, but in the process the nexus s got stuck in a CWM reboot loop, and
whenever i try to flash a rom it gives a status 7 error.
Please help me get back my nexus…
Hi…
I had the same problem with the error 7.
That’s how I solved it:
-root your phone again. also install the clockworkmode recovery again.
-after that just unroot your phone again. and fore guarantee usage lock the bootloader.
now everything should work fine.
When I try to root it again on the cmd screen , it says it’s searching but never does nothing. I can’t root the phone.
It just goes back to the CWM screen as soon as i reboot it.
Oh thats jerky.. than i unfornatley have no idea how to solve the problem. By the way i have rootet my SNS with one click root software. I’d like to post you the link aubout the software but i didn’t fint that page again. :/
I have nexus s I9023 i had rooted it and has flashed ICS on it now i am trying unroot it to stock, i had initially my mistake had flashed nexus s 4G stock. Now i have rooted it again and trying to flash nexus s stock & i am following the procedure mentioned above to unroot nexus s stock. When i try to install the above zip file (Download i9020t_i9023.zip) it says signature cannot be verified and it aboreds installation….need help.
Could it be, that you have but your phone back to stock with 1-click software? If so, I had the same issue. Luckily i had made a backup before installing the wrong rom. So i just had to root the phone again, installed CWM recovery and set the phone with the backup back! After that, i used the instructions on this page to set my phone back to stock.
I locked my bootloader and for some reason CWM did not install. I want to go back to stock what do I do?
what you can do is root your phone again then got market download ROM MANAGER update the bootloader to latest version then shut down your phone then open the bootloader it should be in blue color. Now try to install the zip file (i9020t_i9023.zip) before that wipe your data & cache it will work. Thatz how it worked for me.
hi
how can i know my mobile is [i9020T] or [i9020A]???????
installed sdk manager and avd manager….extracted fastboot into c: drive ….named the map ´´fastboot´´’.
But when i do these steps to lock the bootloader it just says .
i have a i9023 with stock 2.6
..iv tryed evrything..
please help how can i know my mobile is [i9020T] or [i9020A]???????
go to setting and then about phone and check under baseband version, it should be there
Srry..i typed wrong , i was tired. Correction:” But when i do these steps to lock the bootloader it just says “.
Hey after you did this did you get the normal recovery set up, or didi you have to re download rom mananger to use it?
You have to redownload ROM manager but your Clockwork Recovery is still there, just use Volume Up and Power button after powering down.
yea i was asking because i didi this but once i tried to access my recovery option it only showed the android guy with the ! triangle… is there anyways to fix this?
Sorry you have to reinstall ClockworkMod Recovery. You can access stock recovery by pressing Volume Up and Down when you see the triangle.
oh man, do you have a guide for that too? im clueless when it comes to this stuff. btw thanks for guides and stuff , their great
Thanks for the guide. Successfully unrooted, relocked bootloader, then updated to ICS. 🙂
Hi guys, I’m stuck with a problem…
I tried to unroot my nexus s in order to install the ICS update.. I connected my phone to my computer to make a last back up, turned off my phone and since then i cannot do anything with my phone anymore :s
When i try to turn it on again i got the google icon (with the unlock) and then my phone crashes in the appearing X (x appears forever).
If i try to open it in recoverymode i got a message “no boot or recovery img” and i am stuck in my bootloader. I am unable to connect my phone to my computer again because it’s turned off and i cant go in recovery..
Please help me, i don’t have a clue of what i should do :s
Hey, I took your advise on updating clockwork with rom manager but when Im in bootloader it says thats it not installed. How do I get this working again?
never mind, 2nd reboot solved problem. will check back in if another issue occurs TIA!!
Superuser is still there! Why?!?!
thanks a lot. it work for me.I had the same problem with the error 7 and it solved with reinstal the clockworkmode recovery. my question is: shold i see the clockworkmod when my phone is conect to usb on the computer? i think i need to see the stock recovery. sorry for my english
If I want to downgrade from Ice Cream to Gingerbread on Nexus S I9020 how I have to proceed? Thanks! 🙂
hey in command promt after oem lock command it waits for device and says failed
Cannot get my bootloader to lock. Ive downloaded the fastboot and have extracted it to my c drive but when I go through to the last bit Type in astboot oem lock, it just says waiting for device. Nothing happens and my bootloader remains unlocked. Help
Most likely your drivers, verify your drivers are working!
Thanks Alot …!!! :)…god bless u, u r are working for us may god help u….u resolved a big issue of mine..thanx again.:)
Will I be able to receive ics 4.0.3 update on my phone by Google..after doing the above procedure.??
Does the zip archive include stock radio?
I have this error:
assert failed: getprop(“ro.product.device”) == “crespo” || getprop(“ro.build.product”) == “crespo”
How do resolve this problem?
Thanks
Re-install Recovery by using ROM Manager from Market then try again.
After step 3 I get a blank screen. I have Android 4.0.3, and I want to make a backup before I root it.
Model: i9023.
HI Nexus Hacks, canzona tour helpme please.after i haved do this in my Nexus s i9023 but when i go in fastboot is this version
Bootloader version i9020xxKA3
Basebamd version I9020XXKF1
is Normale or not?
Thankyou
Help me please
I have a problem nexhack
Evrytime i start phone without plugin bettry
It stuck on “Downloading do not turn off the target”
Then i have to pull out battry
Plug in charger
And put in bettry while pluged in power
Then start normal.
Please help me
Hi. Just thought i’d offer an update based on my experience in case it may help.
The guides are really excellent by the way.
Only problem i had putting back to stock is that the version of clockwork mod in the old post to root (3101.img), wouldn’t allow me to flash std ROM. I got error – assert failed: getprop(“ro.product.device”) == “crespo” || getprop(“ro.build.product”) == “crespo”
I had to install clockwork-5.0.2.0 to get it to flash back. Also ROM manager wouldn’t flash new recovery – gave a permissions error.
When i go in the recovery mode it dosen’t comes. i have my phone unlocked but i dont have clockwork mod recovery & i want to update to ICS please help me wht to do.
I have NEXUS S I9023
Please help me, one day I woke up and turned on my phone. I took it out half an hour later to find it was still at the bootloader. Followed steps to unroot but when went to turn on x logo came up forever. HELP please!!!!!
flash CWM via fastboot then install ROM or restore ROM.
NVM. For anyone that has this problem, wipe all data and then reboot. LOL nearly died
After I select the update and select yes it says “installation aborted”. Help please!!
how do i lock the bootloader with a broken power button ?
I have i920A
Can I just unroot to stock and stop there as I want keep my phone unlocked. Will this allow me to get OTA
Hi,
I am trying to Unroot my Nexus S.
I am stuck after step 2.
I copied the i9020t_i9023.zip to my internal storage.
Then boot into bootloader by holding down both Volume Up and Power buttons.
Then I chose “Recovery”, then it gets stuck at the first Google screen!
Please help me!
Thanks
I cant seem to get command prompt to locate fastboot when I type cd\ fastboot I get the following message “The system cannot find the path specified”. What am I doing wrong?
This is not working for me now that I have been able to get to cd\ fastboot when I type fastboot oem lock all I get is “waiting for device”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DId you wipe out everything? Did you make it to factory reset?
It should work if you have done that! Worked for me.
Max
did you enable usb debugging
hei max im just wondering if stock can make video call i want to use that one or any rom with videocall im running blackcm9 of brainmaster with matrix19
some one please reply to my problem plz plz plz
i have nexus s
after updating it is on a triangle ” Downloading Do not turn off the target”
i pulled out battery plugged in and battry recharge came on screen and i pressed power button it started normal.
but again without plugged in charging it show that triangle
means i need to plug in my phone to restart it.
please tell me what to do ?
hey when i select the file i9020t_i9023.zip then it displays this:
–Installing: /sdcard/i9020t_i9023.zip
Finding update package…
opening update package…
E:Can’t open /sdcard/i9020t_i9023.zip
(bad)
Installation aborted.
please help
Take backup
Then go to privacy, then restore it
I did restore it from recovery mode now my nexus s (i9023)is runing on simple ice cream sandwhich OS but still its giving d same error
Hi…I’m having some problems with my nexus s right now.. please help me ?
I’m having the i9023 version , successfully rooted last time, and after rooted this phone when I wanted to unroot it I thought of deleting it will do.. then instead of deleting the Superuser I’ve disabled it . .. Only realized after like few weeks that I can enable it back. I’m such a noob.. sorry. Then when I’ve enabled it back its like somewhere goes wrong. I cant proceed to root access. Every apps that needed superuser isn’t working anymore.
Then I went online to check whether is there any methods from nexushacks to unroot my phone back ? Then I see this thread. I wanted to unroot it back so badly but its not working. I’ve went to bootloader > recovery mode but its not the clockworkmod. ( Then only I realize it is something to be flash to the phone but I dont understand the articles ) I’ve entered to install updates there. But then the installation failed and aborted, why?
Before this please understand that I think It probably not because of the guide got mistake but my phone. My phone started to be like, cannot detect from my PC BEFORE I STARTED TO TRY TO UNROOT MY PHONE. But its fine to charge with using USB cable plug. Just that I got no ways to access to my mass storage from my PC.
I thought a Factory reset might help. I did that. Nothing happen. It remains the same…
Can you guys please help me to solve this problem? Thankyou very very much. 🙁
I tried your instructions. It went back to a 2.6.5 version of android and it would indicate emergency calls only even when it actually could make phone calls, and receive data trough my provider network. I did not like it and decided to root my phone again. Unfortunately this time around, after unlocking it, it would not allow me to flash the recovery image. All I would get is ” error: cannot load recovery3101″
Any idea what to do next? Please help!
Does this also work for my ICSNexus S ? I want it to downgrade how it was when i first got it.
Thank you very much from Sweden, finally something that works! :D:D:D
Hey I had rooted my phone some 7-8 months ago. I have 2.3.3 version and now i am trying to use this guide to unroot but when i say it to install the i9023 version it just says installation aborted. what do i do?
Do you have CWM installed?
Hello,
I did OTA ICS update, it worked fine for a couple of weeks. the phone battery completely drained and after charging, it is in boot loop.
I tried factory reset, wiping the cache partition, but still no success. I downloaded the official images from google website and i need to unlock the boot loader.
In order to install the recovery and system images , i tried fast oem unlock first.
It gives me error and mentions failed.
I get error that bootloader is locked and to use fastboot oem unlock.
I tried this command to unlock bootloader
fastboot oem unlock
The message i get is
FAILED (remote: Erase Fail)
finished. total time: 5.391s
Can anyone help me with this. Could this be a software or hardware issue.
Thank you
Not sure but you can try:
fastboot erase cache
then try unlocking.
Hello.
I find your blog very helpful.
I followed your instruction to root my nexus s
and now i want it back unrooted. But i got a few questions tho;
1. i have the clockworkMod recovery v.5.0.2.0, but i have no os. so everytime i reboot it will just go back to the recovery page. Is it possible for me to unroot my phone and later after unrooting it, install the official ics release? or the unrooting will disable any os installation?
i really need your insight. it would be so super and kind of you to help me figuring this out. ^_^
thank you very much,
Ru~
Hi, please help me. I did downgrade to GB everything work fine but I can’t launch android market. It says Application Market(proces com. android.vending) has stopped unexpectedly. please try again….. PLEASE help me!!:(
Try a factory reset.
What about if we want to install the stock factory image for the Nexus S that you can download from the Google dev site? Will it work if you just use the soju zip file from Google?
yes that works!
Hey thanks for the quick reply! I tried doing the same procedure with the factory soju image provided by google on their dev site (GRK39F), but it keep saying installation aborted :s
This was the zip file that I was trying to install “soju-grk39f-factory-5ab09c98.tgz”… Now I unzipped that and found “image-soju-grk39f.zip” within that tgz file. But when I try to install the “image-soju-grk39f.zip” within CWM, the installation fails :s…
you cannot install it in CWM you have to use fastboot, open the script files and try it one by one.
Ooooh :s… Would you mind helping me on that? Or are there any fastboot procedures that are easy to follow? You have THE BEST tutorial by the way. Great job!
Shoot, I don’t really have time today but probably next week? Sorry man, my schedule is really booked up this whole week but let me see what I can do. If nothing gets updated, hit me up next week at zedomax@gmail.com I can surely do it then.
Hey, no worries man, you’re a hero lol! I can’t find any simple procedures in English for how to do a complete (and I mean COMPLETE) wipe and clean install using Fastboot for my Nexus S. I am using a Mac and I’ve downloaded the Android SDK as well as the IMM76D factory 4.0.4 Soju image. Everything is ready for your magic :D.
It’s fun learning how everything works with the Nexus S and I’m beginning to feel a lot more comfortable using it 😀
Thanks again!
Okay, so I used the i9020t zip file that you provided and it reimaged successfully… But, When looking under the Wireless and Network Settings, I can not enable NFC anymore. It is displaying “An error occurred” underneath “NFC” and the checkbox will not activate… Help please 😀
Not sure on this, did u try updating to the latest OTA after unroot? That might fix.
Latest OTA update provided is the 4.0.4 update, which I don’t want to go back to :). GB 2.3.6 feels much better for the Nexus S as battery life on 4.0.4 was giving me anxiety lol.
Errmm.. Can’t see the “install zip from sd card” but only updates,clear cache & factory reset.. Can i ask what should I do?
Hey can some please help!!….I did everything step by step and successfully unrooted the phone .Now its on 2.3.6 and it says ‘locked’. The problem I am not getting the signal of the network my phone is on. Its on roaming and I’ve tried many times by switching it off, though there is full signal strength on my rooted galaxy S2. Someone please help asap as I have to send this phone!!!…
Thanks….
Could just be a defective phone in my opinion. My Nexus S is like that, gets like no reception now.
Oki,,Thanks for the quick reply
And yes one more thing, if I send this to company can they make out that it was rooted or anything else?..I just want to be on the safer side..:P
If i am on a rom (aokp) did i will get the update of google for 4.1.1 even if im on a rom or i need to go back stock to have the 4.1.1 update? i know i can have jelly bean rom but not working for me!! so did i will get the update if im on a rom???
You will have to unroot to get the official 4.1.1 if that’s what you are asking, not from a custom ROM though.
Ok! Yes thats was my question! Thank you very much man
HI, I am on MIUI and hate it, I flashed the OTA 4.0.4 file and can use it and it is amazing, but I want jelly bean, but when I try to install it from OTA , it says status 7 error, I have also tried downloading JB ROMS for my version and they still dont work, will unrooting and installing the JB ROM and rooting again fix this?
try installing latest version of CWM from ROM Manager, it should work after that.
Hi, I ended up Unrooting and rooting again, now i am trying to get everything backs as I copied the CMD and TB folders to my desktop, but I have no access even though the bootloader status is unlocked, going to try to install 4.0.4 and do your method again.
I have I9020T, but I have updated I9020a regardless.
Now I cannot update any rom (I tried to root again but I couldn’t. there is a problem with driver. it shows Android 1.0 and I couldn’t find any driver for it).
Is there anyone has any suggestion?
Thanks,
Need help. Every time i entre fastboot oem lock it tells me waiting for device but doesn’t do anything else after words
update drivers in Device Manager.
whene I go to rom manager and i click in resoudre les problemes de permission it says erreur pour lancer une commande avec les permission root because whene i like to patch some app it says go to titanuim backup and the titanuim backup it says acces root echec ans the message of super utilisateur not displayed in any app even in list superuser app nothing is displayed ..
help me pleas
Hi,
I use your nexus S root some time ago. It work perfect. After that my phone update 2-3 times to 4.1.x.
After first update to 4.0 the root stop working, i know i have to root it again. But didnt take the time for backup all my stuff on phone and didnt root it again. The superuser program was on my phone but when i start root checker it says it is not rooted.
So i try to root it with your new tutorial for ICS. I did all what was in tutorial. After that i try root checker and it still say that the phone is not root-ed. After that I try to unroot phone with unroot nexus S tutorial. I have instaled i9020 rom i downloaded from begining of this tutorial. Now I have on my phone 2.3.6 and when I try to update phone to 4.x it says that the latest version of ROM is on system. What to do now to upgrade phone to 4.x and after that to root phone ??
Tnx for help.
So I did this and at the last step it says what should I do?
Pingback: how to flash samsung i9020t [nexus] - GSM-Forum
Aloa,
one question to root resp. unroot. Could I see if the NXS was rooted? Is there a log for those information and could I delete these logfile (of course it is possible to delete).
Or are this information that the world do not need ..?? (´casue i want to buy a NXS – therefore the question)
If you do a factory reset and re-lock your phone no the logs get deleted too.
how do i know its i9020a or i9020t….when i go to settings/about phone/ it says I9020XXKI1….i m using CM RC4-crespo ROM.
thanks
now i am having a bigger problem
I m using CM10 rom 4.2.2,,all of a sudden my phone doesnt boot and it also wont go into recovery mode from fastboot…..
also when i connect phone in fastboot mode it shows as Samsung Android phone in device manager, but when i go into download mode it shows nothing in device manager list
please help…
on step 16: When i execute “fastboot oem lock” through “cmd” it went on saying ?
P.S: Device is properly connected through usb.
on step 16: When i execute “fastboot oem lock” through “cmd” it went on saying (waiting for device) and no response.. pls help ?
P.S: Device is properly connected through usb.
Can someone tell me how to root my nexus s- gt-i9020?
great work.
But i have a problem.
when i try to unlock, it say FAILED (remote: Erase Fail)
actually my phone stuck on google logo(white). it can go to recovery mode. i tried to make a wipe data/factory restore but it says:
e:format_volume: make_extf4fs failed on /dev/block/platform/s3c-sdhci.0/by-name/userdata
but it formats the cache. and then it says Data Wipe complete.
please help.
Hi everyone!
The power button of my phone doesn’t work.
It was rooted and I have used the adb, but after I flashed the stock rom I can’t go to the recovery to wipe/reset factory, because when I boot the phone I always get errors and it’s impossible to connect the phone by adb.
What I can do to go to the recovery without power button and adb?
Thanks and forgive me because my english isn’t the best
I have followed these instructions exactly, and now I can’t connect to my carrier – says “emergency calls only”. When I search for networks it can’t find my Carrier (Wind Mobile). Since this has happened, I have also flashed the LATEST stock rom from google’s factory images (4.1.2) and still have the same problem of not finding my carrier. Is there a way to fix this?
Thanks bro your method perfectly works for me