ADB Fastboot error when flasing rom 'FAILED remote unknown command'

Question

I'm trying to flash Google factory image file on nexus 6P but it always stops at the same point. USB debugging is enabled, MTP mode also. Bootloader is unlocked and communicating with ADB Fastboot etc, is there something I'm missing? I've downloaded the zip file and extracted into the platform tools folder. Even installed google recommended drivers. PLEASE HELP if anyone can and accepts bitcoin or any other crypto I'll send it over for the help

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C:\Users\gemma\Desktop\platform-tools_r29.0.6-windows\platform-tools>fastboot reboot-bootloader
Rebooting into bootloader                          OKAY [  0.022s]
Finished. Total time: 0.022s

C:\Users\gemma\Desktop\platform-tools_r29.0.6-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash-all.bat
fastboot: usage: unknown command flash-all.bat

C:\Users\gemma\Desktop\platform-tools_r29.0.6-windows\platform-tools>flash-all.bat
Sending 'bootloader' (3524 KB)                     OKAY [  0.116s]
Writing 'bootloader'                               OKAY [  0.209s]
Finished. Total time: 0.378s
Rebooting into bootloader                          OKAY [  0.107s]
Finished. Total time: 0.107s
Sending 'radio' (48120 KB)                         OKAY [  1.065s]
Writing 'radio'                                    OKAY [  2.140s]
Finished. Total time: 3.269s
Rebooting into bootloader                          OKAY [  0.000s]
Finished. Total time: 0.000s
--------------------------------------------
Bootloader Version...: angler-01.31
Baseband Version.....: angler-01.29
Serial Number........: ENU7N15C1700????
--------------------------------------------
extracting android-info.txt (0 MB) to RAM...
Checking 'product'                                 OKAY [  0.019s]
Checking 'version-bootloader'                      OKAY [  0.018s]
Checking 'version-baseband'                        OKAY [  0.017s]
Snapshot cancel                                    FAILED (remote: 'unknown command')
fastboot: error: Command failed
Press any key to exit...

Answer 1

Using an older platform tools didn't work for me. I had to extract the system image and flash one item at a time.

This is for Nexus 5x but should work for all Google provided system images downloaded at https://developers.google.com/android/images where this error occurs.

> unzip [downloaded zip file]
> cd [new directory]
> unzip image-[device specific].zip
  inflating: android-info.txt        
  inflating: vendor.img              
  inflating: boot.img                
  inflating: recovery.img            
  inflating: system.img
> fastboot flash boot boot.img
> fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-[device specific].img
> fastboot reboot-bootloader
> fastboot flash radio radio-[device specific].img
> fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
> fastboot flash system system.img

Reboot and cross your fingers.

Answer 2

Install older platform tools instead - avoids a fastboot change made in December '19 "fastboot: Flashall does proper snapshot cancel". I've gone to version 27.0.0 to resolve the same problem on a Nexus 7 update.

Answer 3

I am having the same issue while upgrading Nexus 5x from 6.0 to 8.1.0. The main reason of this issue is your SDK platform-Tools version in my case it was 30.0.1. This platform tool you can find in your system at following location:-

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools

So i just solve the problem using below steps

1. Download the lower version 26 using below link

   https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools_r26.0.2-windows.zip (if you have linux or Mac, just replace windows keyword with your system type in above URL)

2. Now rename the latest platform-tools to platform-tool-copy.

3. Unzip the lower version downloaded file at C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk location.

4. Now try to flash the device again.

Answer 4

edit: now fixed upstream, and the SDK Platform Tools 30.0.4 release (available from https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools) should work. i've left the information about how/where to get nightly builds anyway, for future reference.

see https://issuetracker.google.com/158232468 where the bug was filed with us. (and bear in mind that it's always worth filing a bug if you want something fixed --- don't assume we'll see a random stackoverflow post!)

yes, using an old fastboot should be fine as a workaround.

if you're building your own adb, https://android-review.googlesource.com/c/platform/system/core/+/1324873 is the fix.

or you can get a nightly from https://ci.android.com/ (click the little download arrow in the sdk column to get to a page of links for binaries).