Windows Device Recovery Tool updated to support HTC devices

When Windows 10 Mobile build 10536 was released in mid-September a glitch resulted in some unsupported devices being prompted to install the update.

While initially those users may have been thrilled to see this update, the experience they had afterwards was not good. These upgraded non-Lumia handsets which included devices from HTC and BLU  ended up in reboot loops and were unusable.

The only solution was to re-flash the phone back to Windows Phone 8.1 according to Gabe Aul however, that was easier said than done because many of those other manufacturers do not provide public access to the utilities that reset their phones.

Microsoft does provide a Windows Device Recovery Tool (WDRT), previously known as the Windows Phone Recovery Tool (WPRT), that enables Lumia phone users to reset their devices but that tool does not support these other handsets that inadvertently received the ill-fated Windows 10 Mobile update.

In order to make that tool work with those other devices a source image would be needed from the manufacturer so that it can be incorporated into the WDRT.

Well apparently that has finally happened. The WDRT has been updated and according to various reports it can now re-flash the HTC 8X Windows Phone back to its out of the box condition.

The HTC 8X was one of the devices which inadvertently had access to build 10536 of the Windows 10 Mobile preview.

I plugged up an older HTC 8X I have on my spares shelf and it is recognized by the WDRT so it appears the reports may be accurate however, when I followed the WDRT onscreen instructions ultimately the image for my AT&T HTC 8X was not found on the server.

This could be a carrier specific issue so if you have the HTC 8X from another carrier, such as Verizon here in the US, then it may work. My HTC 8X is still on Windows Phone 8.1 so that may also be a trigger to the tool working properly by detecting the presence of Windows 10 Mobile build 10536 but with the phone in boot loader mode that may not be as likely.

Here are the screenshots from my attempt to restore the HTC 8X using the WDRT:

If any of you are out there on HTC 8X devices that may have inadvertently received the Windows 10 Mobile update let us know if this tool is working for you.

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