Xperia:FlashTool

FlashTool is a program used to flash files to your phone. It requires the fastboot program from Google, and the fastboot drivers for your phone must be installed. It's best to install FlashTool in C:\FlashTool on your computer, for convenience. The fastboot drivers are located in the "drivers" folder where FlashTool is installed.

Driver Installation Instructions

If you have a newer Windows than Windows 7, you will first need to disable driver signing enforcement using the instructions found later in this page.

1. Boot your phone into the OS, then connect it to your computer.
2. Go into your Flashtool folder > drivers folder, and run the flashtool-drivers.exe file as administrator.
3. Run the installer, select only the flashmode drivers, fastboot drivers, and the option that includes Xperia Play (may be Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc).
4. Continue installing.

At this point you should be good to go. However, if it failed to install, you will need to keep going with these instructions:

1. Open the Device Manager on your computer.
2. Find your phone listed in the devices, it will probably say Sony something and have a yellow triangle with a ! on it.
3. Right-click the device and choose "Update driver".
4. Click the "Browse my computer" option.
5. Click the "Choose from a list" option.
6. Look for Sony Ericsson sa0102, select that option, then finish the installation.
7. Once you're in the OS, turn on USB debugging on your phone. (Settings > Applications > Development > Usb Debugging).

Windows Driver Signing Enforcement

If you still have issues installing the drivers, then likely you're on Windows 8 or above. Newer versions of Windows are much more strict about making sure drivers are signed. To get around that, you'll have to boot Windows into a special mode where this protection is temporarily disabled. The following instructions are for Windows 10:

1. Go to the computer settings, then "Update & Security".
2. Click on the Recovery option on the left-hand side.
3. Under the Advanced Startup section, click the "Restart Now" button.
4. Once your Computer has rebooted, choose the Troubleshoot option.
5. Go into Advanced options, then Startup Settings.
6. Press F7 to choose "Disable driver signature enforcement".
7. Once the computer has again restarted, you should be back in Windows with enforcement disabled.
8. Try installing the drivers again as before.