Android: Using Flashtool to restore stock Sony Xperia Arc/Arc S to stock firmware/kernel/etc

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This guide is for the Sony Xperia Arc and the Sony Xperia Arc S.
This works with both LOCKED and UNLOCKED bootloaders.

However, this process is more suitable to locked bootloaders, because if you have an unlocked bootloader, you can just use Sony’s Official Flash Tool

Firmware 4.1.B.0.587, 4.1.B.0.431 or 4.0.2.A.0.62

Prerequisites:

On your phone first:

Enable USB Debugging
- Settings/Developer Options/USB Debugging
Enable Unknown Sources
- Settings/Security/Unknown Sources

Flashtool

Install and open Flashtool
Drag and drop the .ftf file you downloaded earlier
Leave all options default

On your phone

Disconnect from USB
Power off, wait 5 seconds
Press and hold the back button
Plug in the USB
Wait until Flashtool starts doing it’s magic, release the back button

After Flashtool is done

Disconnect from USB
Start phone
Done

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Patrick Gradiscaj

Thank you for that. Its a nice thread
Daniel

Thanks a lot! I had to download flashtool drivers separately to get it to work though (the ones that came with the flashtool software didn’t work). The phone runs ten times faster now! I no longer hate android.
zahid

Hi my experia doesn’t start any more. Can i flash it.
- Craig Vanderlinden
  
  Nothing happens when you plug it in? Does your computer recognize it?
  - zahid
    
    Hi Craig; Yes the computer can recognise the telephone. I read some where on some forum that I should use the flash tool to flash it. So When I try to do it with Emma tool then the process stopped I got error message phone with a locked boot loader.
    
    I can find other flashtools for locked boot loader but those tools say that I need to make some settings in the telephone, as I can’t start the telephone so I can’t do that.
    
    Please help me what I can do in this case.
    - Craig Vanderlinden
      
      If you have a locked bootloader then you can not use the “Emma Tool” provided by Sony, you must use Flashtool 0.9.9.0. I updated the links in my post to a couple downloads as they were dead.
      - Zahid
        
        Ok that means it would be fine to follow the procedure you have mentioned in you post.
      - Zahid
        
        I am wondering how do I do these steps when the phone is dead now.
        
        Enable USB Debugging
        Settings/Developer Options/USB Debugging
        Enable Unknown Sources
        Settings/Security/Unknown Sources
      - Craig Vanderlinden
        
        If your phone is dead (my guess is it happened because of flashing?) then those settings should already be enabled. Just try following the rest of the steps.
      - zahid
        
        Thanks a lot. Today I evening shall try this.
      - zahid
        
        03/025/2013 17:25:38 – INFO
        – Device connected with USB debugging off
        
        This was what I was afraid for. Could there be some flash tool which doesn’t care that the USB debuging is off and still can flash it?
      - Craig Vanderlinden
        
        Afraid not. USB Debugging is what allows the ADB drivers to be used, which in turn allows flash tool to change the firmware.
      - zahid
        
        Hi again I can see that flash is complete but when I start telephone I can see light in the screen and nothing more. Do I need to something more.
      - Craig Vanderlinden
        
        Not sure. Don’t know if I can help anymore. Head over to http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1182 to get some more support. Good luck.
      - zahid
        
        Thanks anyway.
Sandeep Reddy

DOES IT WORK EVEN IF I UNLOCKED BOOTLOADER
does it unroot
does it lock bootloader too pls reply ASAP
- Craig Vanderlinden
  
  I only tried on a locked bootloader, I have no experience with unlocked bootloaders. My only guess is that it would be easy.
Nana Yaw Oxylade Asante

Device reboots by itself when I boot it into flashboot mode. Please what is happenning
- Craig Vanderlinden
  
  Could be something wrong with the firmware on the phone. Not sure sorry.