Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, codenamed vince, remains a popular device, but over time, the standard operating system may no longer meet user requirements or stop receiving official security updates. Restoring the gadget or changing the regional version of the firmware often requires the use of specialized software for the PC. Unlike the update “over the air”, the method using the MiFlash Tool gives full control over the process and allows you to eliminate software failures that cannot be fixed by standard means.
The process of writing a new operating system to a device via Fastboot mode is considered the most reliable way of resuscitation, but it requires strict adherence to the sequence of actions. Any deviation from the algorithm, the use of incompatible drivers or interruption of power supply can lead to serious consequences for the bootloader of the device. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the stages of preparation, installation of drivers and direct firmware to minimize risks and ensure successful results.
Toolkit preparation and compatibility check
Before you start any manipulation of the system partition, you need to make sure that you are using the exact version of the software that is intended for your model. Redmi 5 Plus has many modifications, and trying to fill the image from the Redmi Note 5 or another model is guaranteed to turn the device into a “brick.” It is critical to download Fastboot ROM, not Recovery, since MiFlash works exclusively with the first type of archives with the.tgz extension.
You need a computer running Windows, because Xiaomi does not natively support macOS or Linux without emulators. USB cable should be high-quality, preferably original, capable of transmitting data at high speeds, not only charging. Using damaged or cheap cables often causes a connection to break at a critical time of data recording.
What is the difference between China and Global?
Make sure there is enough free space on your computer’s hard drive, as the unpacked firmware archive may take up more space. 3-4 Gigabyte: The path to the file folder should not contain Cyrillic characters or spaces, otherwise the firmware script may not start correctly, C:\Xiaomi_ROM, And put the contents of the archive in there.
Install ADB and Fastboot drivers on Windows
Windows does not always correctly identify Xiaomi devices in bootloader mode without first installing specialized drivers. Most often, there are problems with device recognition in Fastboot or QDLoader mode (for Qualcomm processors).
If the automatic installation fails, you need to go to Device Manager, find an unknown device or device with an exclamation mark. When you connect your smartphone in Fastboot mode (clamping the volume down button and USB), the Android Bootloader Interface device should appear in the list. If you display "Unknown Device", you need to manually update the driver with an indication of the path to the driver folder inside the platform archive or installed SDK.
- 🔌 Connect the smartphone in the off state by pressing the volume button "Down».
- 💻 Open Device Manager through right-click on the Start menu».
- 🔍 Find the Ports section (COM and LPT)» or “Android devices».
- 🛠 Select "Update the driver» → «Select a driver from the list of available».
Once installed successfully, there should be no unknown components left in the Device Manager. Correct driver performance is the foundation without which the MiFlash Tool simply won’t see the connected gadget. In some cases, you may need to disable the digital signature check for drivers in Windows 10/11, especially if you’re using modified versions of Qualcomm drivers.
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Use it. USB-ports soldered directly on the motherboard (back of the system unit), since the ports of the front panel through the extension cord may give insufficient voltage.
Unlock the bootloader and log into Fastboot mode
Official firmware via MiFlash is only available on devices with unlocked bootloader. If you are trying to install global firmware on the Chinese version or vice versa, the bootloader status must be changed through the official Xiaomi Unlock Tool service. Without this procedure, the utility will give an authorization error or refuse to start the recording process.
To enter the desired mode on the device turned off, press the volume button and, without letting it go, connect the USB cable to the computer. On the smartphone screen, an image of a rabbit repairing an android with the inscription FASTBOOT will appear. This signals that the device is ready to accept low-level commands. If the screen remains black, the battery may be dead or the cable is defective.
⚠️ Warning: Unlocking the bootloader will completely remove all user data from internal memory. Be sure to back up contacts, photos and documents before starting the procedure.
There is also an EDL (Emergency Download) mode that is used to recover fully bricked devices when the Fastboot is not available. To switch to this mode on the Redmi 5 Plus, you often need to disassemble the case and close contacts on the board, or use special ADB commands if the superuser rights are already obtained.
Setup MiFlash Tool and choose the firmware method
When you start MiFlash, the first thing you do is press the Refresh button to let the program detect the connected device. Your smartphone's serial number should appear on the list. If the list is empty, check the drivers and the cable. Then you select the path to the unpacked firmware folder by clicking the Select button.
Special attention should be paid to the bottom of the program window, where the three options for actions with memory are located. Choosing the wrong mode can lead to loss of data or inability to boot the system. For a clean installation, it is recommended to use a mode that completely clears the internal memory of the device.
| Regime. | Description of action | Impact on data |
|---|---|---|
| clean all | Complete cleaning and firmware of all sections | All data is deleted |
| save user data | System firmware with saving the userdata partition | Data is retained |
| clean all and lock | Cleaning, firmware and re-blocking the loader | All data is deleted |
Clean all and lock mode should be used with extreme caution. If you change the firmware region (for example, from China to Global), locking the bootloader again can cause the phone to stop loading, since the signatures of the system partitions will not match, in such cases it is safer to leave the bootloader unlocked or use clean all mode.
Firmware recording process and monitoring
When all parameters are selected, click Flash to start the process. The program log will start to show progress reports on sending commands, erasing partitions, and writing new data. The entire process takes 200 to 600 seconds depending on the speed. USB-port and volume of data requested.
During firmware, it is strictly forbidden to turn off the USB cable or pull the computer power cord. Interrupting the write to the boot or system partition will violate the integrity of the file system. If the process has been stuck in one place for more than 10 minutes, there may be a driver error or a corrupt firmware file.
☑️ Checklist before launch
Successful completion of the operation is signaled by the message flash all success in the column of the result and a green indicator. After that, the smartphone will automatically restart. The first boot after the firmware can last up to 5-10 minutes, as the system optimizes applications and creates new configuration files.
Typical errors and methods of their elimination
One of the most common problems is the Miss matching image and current device error, which means that the firmware you choose does not match the hardware platform of the device, such as trying to flash a version for the Snapdragon processor when you have MediaTek in the device, or confusing the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus models.
Not enough space error can occur if the path to the firmware folder is too long or contains unacceptable characters, and this error appears when trying to flash a heavier version of the system to a device with a small amount of memory without first cleaning. The solution is to shorten the path to the folder to C:\rom.
⚠️ Warning: If your phone goes into an endless bootloop after you have firmware, try flashing it back in clean all. If that doesn't work, you may need to roll back to an older version of Android.
The login error is common when using older versions of MiFlash or accounts that do not have firmware rights. Make sure you are using the current version of the utility and logged in to your Mi Account. In some cases, running the program on behalf of the administrator and temporarily disabling the antivirus helps.