### How I bypassed the "Downloading DA 100%" stuck error on Redmi 9A (dandelion)
If your SP Flash Tool is getting stuck at the red bar or freezing right at "Downloading DA 100%" (and after 2 minutes of hanging on "Download DA 100%" it threw this error: STATUS_EXT_RAM_EXCEPTION (0xC0050005)) while trying to flash a stock ROM on the Redmi 9A, here is the exact step-by-step method and button timing that finally worked for me to flash the China Stock ROM, then return to the Global ROM by flashing the files listed below.
CRITICAL STRATEGY NOTE:
To successfully unbrick this device and bypass the STATUS_EXT_RAM_EXCEPTION error, you must flash the China Stock ROM first to revive the phone. Once the phone is functional, you can then safely return to the Global ROM by flashing the Global ROM with the China preloader inside SP Flash Tool so that it uses the China preloader file instead of the Global one, while all other files are the Global ones.
IMPORTANT: During the entire flashing process (both for the China ROM and when returning to Global), you must keep both volume buttons pressed continuously until the flashing process is complete. If you release the buttons too early, the connection to the BROM mode will drop, and you will get stuck at "Downloading DA 100%" followed by the STATUS_EXT_RAM_EXCEPTION error again.
***
### Files Used:
1. Flashing Tool: SP Flash Tool v5.2020.00 (SP_Flash_Tool_Xiaomi.zip)
2. Download-Agent: \SP_Flash_Tool_Xiaomi\DA_6765_6785_6768_6873_6885_6853.bin
3. Authentication File: \SP_Flash_Tool_Xiaomi\auth_sv5.auth
4. China Stock ROM: dandelion_images_V12.0.16.0.QCDCNXM_20210803.0000.00_10.0_cn_d412cbd9bd.tgz
5. Global Stock ROM: dandelion_global_images_V12.0.3.0.QCDMIXM_20200714.0000.00_10.0_global_c021b1dc87.tgz
6. Bypass Tool: mtk_bypass_rev3.7z
***
**IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE YOU START:**
I performed all of these steps with the **battery disconnected** because my phone was stuck in a hard BROM bootloop, making it very difficult to connect to the PC stably otherwise. However, if you can access BROM mode without any connection issues, you do not need to detach the battery.
Also, be very careful if you are flashing with the phone case opened and screws detached! For the power and volume buttons to work properly, the black camera cover and screws usually must be in place to ensure good physical contact with the PCB. In my case, I actually didn't reinstall the black cover between the main board and the phone frame. I just screwed the PCB down directly to make sure the buttons worked.
***
### How my phone got bricked in the first place:
1. I officially unlocked the bootloader using miflash_unlock (after waiting the required 7 days).
2. The phone was running MIUI version V12.0.22.0.QCDMIXM, and I used Mi Flash to attempt a downgrade to the original global MIUI version that came with the phone when I first bought it: V12.0.3.0.QCDMIXM.
3. After the flash, the phone refused to start and the screen stayed completely black.
4. The phone was trapped in a hard BROM bootloop. I lost all access to Fastboot mode and Mi Assistant Recovery mode—the phone would only register as a MediaTek BROM device.
### I tried fixing it with mtkclient first, but got this error:
DAXFlash - Successfully received DA sync
DAXFlash - Sending emi data ...
DAXFlash - DRAM setup failed: unpack requires a buffer of 12 bytes. Use mtk.py with --preloader preloader.bin !
DaHandler
DaHandler - [LIB]: Failed to upload da.
### Then I tried standard SP Flash Tool, but after 2 minutes of hanging on "Download DA 100%" it threw this error:
STATUS_EXT_RAM_EXCEPTION (0xC0050005)
If you are stuck in this same state where both tools give DRAM / RAM exceptions, switch to SP Flash Tool and use this exact routine:
***
### How to flash China ROM
Important Note: These initial preparation steps are specifically configured for flashing the China Stock ROM (dandelion firmware) to revive the device from the RAM exception error.
1. Configure SP Flash Tool Options First
Open SP Flash Tool (v5.2020) and load these exact files:
- Download-Agent: \SP_Flash_Tool_Xiaomi\DA_6765_6785_6768_6873_6885_6853.bin
- Scatter-loading File: \dandelion_images_V12.0.16.0.QCDCNXM_20210803.0000.00_10.0_cn\images\MT6765_Android_scatter.txt
- Authentication File: \SP_Flash_Tool_Xiaomi\auth_sv5.auth
Go to Options / Settings and make sure to:
- Uncheck "check LIB DA match"
- Uncheck "Storage Life Cycle Check"
- Under Connection settings, set Connection to "USB", USB speed to "Full speed", and Battery to "auto detect"
Make sure everything is loaded and ready. Do not click Download yet.
2. Trigger the Auth Bypass
Open mtk_bypass_rev3.exe on your PC and click Bypass.
3. Connect to Bypass Tool
With the phone completely unplugged, press and hold BOTH Volume Up (+) and Volume Down (-) simultaneously. While holding them down, plug the USB cable into the PC.
4. Maintain the Grip & Start the Flash
Once the bypass tool registers the connection, DO NOT let go of the volume buttons! Keep pressing them down tightly. With your other hand, quickly switch to SP Flash Tool and click the Download button.
5. Keep Holding Until Finished
Keep holding BOTH Volume Up (+) and Volume Down (-) simultaneously throughout the entire process until the flash is complete.
---
Note: In step 5, I described exactly what I did to successfully unbrick my phone. However, it might not be strictly necessary to keep pressing the volume buttons through the entire process; you may be able to release them once the flashing officially begins after the yellow progress bar appears.
***
### How to return to the Global ROM after flashing the China ROM
Once your device is safely unbricked and running the China firmware, you can return to the Global ROM. In my case, I went back to version V12.0.3.0.QCDMIXM using the file: dandelion_global_images_V12.0.3.0.QCDMIXM_20200714.0000.00_10.0_global_c021b1dc87.tgz.
To do this, you will repeat almost the exact same SP Flash Tool steps used for the China ROM setup, with one crucial modification:
1. Load the Global Files into SP Flash Tool:
- Download-Agent: \SP_Flash_Tool_Xiaomi\DA_6765_6785_6768_6873_6885_6853.bin
- Scatter-loading File: Make sure you select the one from your extracted Global folder: \dandelion_global_images_V12.0.3.0.QCDMIXM_20200714.0000.00_10.0_global\images\MT6765_Android_scatter.txt
- Authentication File: Leave this empty (I left this field blank in my case, and it worked fine).
2. CRITICAL STEP (Swap the Preloader):
Before clicking Download, go to the partition list inside SP Flash Tool. Click directly on the **preloader** location row and change the path to point to the **China preloader file** instead of the Global one.
This means every single partition will flash using the Global ROM files, **EXCEPT for the preloader**, which must remain the one from the Chinese firmware to prevent the RAM exception and bootloop from returning.
3. Flash Using the Exact Same Routine:
- Open your bypass tool (mtk_bypass_rev3) and click the **Bypass** button first.
- With the phone completely unplugged from the PC, press and **keep holding BOTH Volume Up (+) and Volume Down (-)** buttons simultaneously.
- While still holding those buttons tightly, **plug the USB cable** into the PC.
- Watch your bypass tool register the connection. As soon as it does, **do not release the volume buttons**.
- Quickly switch over to SP Flash Tool and click the **Download** button, **do not release the volume buttons**.
- **Keep holding both volume buttons down** throughout the entire progress bar sequence until the flashing operation finishes completely (hold the buttons until the end of the flash).
---
Note: When flashing the Global ROM, I found that keeping the volume buttons held through the entire process was not necessary. Once the yellow flashing bar started moving, the connection remained perfectly stable until the end.
***
### Disabling Automatic System Updates After Flashing (Optional)
Once the flash is done and the phone successfully boots up, it is highly recommended to disable the built-in system updates. This ensures you can permanently stay on this specific stable flashed firmware version and prevents the device from automatically updating to newer versions that are often laggy and slow down performance.
First, enable **USB Debugging** by going to Settings > About Phone, tapping the MIUI Version 7 times to unlock **Developer Options**, and turning it on there. Then, connect your phone to the PC and execute these ADB commands one by one to stop the updater application completely:
adb shell cmd package suspend com.android.updater
adb shell cmd appops set com.android.updater WRITE_SETTINGS deny
adb shell am force-stop com.android.updater
