Mediatek sp flash tool v5.13.52.200 upgrade#
By trying to upgrade a properly working device, the IMEI was lost, not the other way around.
![mediatek sp flash tool v5.13.52.200 mediatek sp flash tool v5.13.52.200](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6CIZI9f5bCs/VD9HPR6kcZI/AAAAAAACbDE/yNCwps6HZe4/s1600/Z1_04.jpg)
I then used the "Firmware Upgrade (F8)" option to recover the lost IMEI, as suggested in this guide, but to no avail. I can verify that ending up with a corrupted device is a valid possibility. This resulted in a corrupted device, as other users also reported in this thread. My device happened to have an older preloader, but since the partition layout was the same, I opted to use the "Download (F9)" option and uncheck the preloader in the first flashing trial. In other guides it is suggested to use the "Download (F9)" option and uncheck the preloader for security reasons, especially if the already installed preloader is the latest version available. Flashing the preloader is always risky, because a corrupted preloader will permanently brick the device. In this guide it is suggested to use the "Firmware Upgrade (F8)" option, while the "Download (F9)" option is not even mentioned.
![mediatek sp flash tool v5.13.52.200 mediatek sp flash tool v5.13.52.200](https://xiaomi.eu/community/data/avatars/m/94/94011.jpg)
![mediatek sp flash tool v5.13.52.200 mediatek sp flash tool v5.13.52.200](https://ds-blobs-1.cdn.devapps.ru/13486989.png)
The "Firmware Upgrade (F8)" option also flashes the preloader, while the "Download (F9)" option gives you the option to deselect the preloader. I decided to use this guide to get rid of the annoying China Unicom branding. I received a China Unicom branded WCDMA device, having a China Unicom boot animation, and many persisting China Unicom applications, even after updating to the latest multilanguage version and clearing the cache and data. In the first page, I believe that there should be an advice to use the "Readback (F10)" option to create backups of all the device partitions BEFORE using the "Firmware Upgrade (F8)" or "Download (F9)" option in SP Flash Tool.