A few questions before installing

[TheJanox824]

Hello! I have some issues with the stock EEA ROM, so I'm thinking of installing Xiaomi.eu. I never installed a custom ROM before, so I want to make sure I don't screw it up, as I've read a few threads here about people bricking their phones (some EDL stuff), and I got a little scared.

I didn't even start to unlock the bootloader, I want to see if I got the instructions right first:
1) So first I have to download the Windows drivers listed here (adb, fastboot, sdk), then install Mi Unlock, log in with Xiaomi account, and wait 7 days to finish unlocking.
2) TWRP isn't available for my phone (Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G), so I have to use Fastboot mode.
3) After unlocking bootloader, I have to connect the phone to computer with original cable, boot to fastboot, then run the bat file to wipe and flash, and that would be all?

I also read a few threads saying Recovery mode is safer than Fastboot (is it dangerous?), but there's no TWRP for my phone (at least not linked in official posts), so I can't use it.
Is there anything else I should know before doing this? Should I remove the SIM card before unlocking and flashing? After unlocking bootloader, the phone is reset, should I set it up before wiping again to install the ROM? Anything I should watch out for to avoid bricking? Any answers are appreciated

 

[Igor Eisberg]

I didn't even start to unlock the bootloader, I want to see if I got the instructions right first:
1) So first I have to download the Windows drivers listed here (adb, fastboot, sdk), then install Mi Unlock, log in with Xiaomi account, and wait 7 days to finish unlocking.
2) TWRP isn't available for my phone (Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G), so I have to use Fastboot mode.
3) After unlocking bootloader, I have to connect the phone to computer with original cable, boot to fastboot, then run the bat file to wipe and flash, and that would be all?

Pretty much.

I also read a few threads saying Recovery mode is safer than Fastboot (is it dangerous?)

If the USB connection is interrupted during flashing - yes, that's a good chance of hard-bricking.
Otherwise, no. I've been doing it repeatedly for a long time, it's all good.

Should I remove the SIM card before unlocking and flashing?

No, if that was necessary then we would have mentioned it in the actual instructions which are in the main release post:
https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/miui-14-stable-release.67685/

After unlocking bootloader, the phone is reset, should I set it up before wiping again to install the ROM?

That would be a waste of time.

Anything I should watch out for to avoid bricking?

Yes, use a cable and USB port that you can trust. There is no room for interruptions during the flashing process.

 

[TheJanox824]

Thank you for the detailed answer! I'll try this when I have time.

 

[TheJanox824]

Hello, one more thing:
I had trouble installing adb fastboot 1.4.3 with the automatic installer, so I had to download the SDK Platform directly from Google, extracted in C:\adb and then added it to the Path. Adb and fastboot are installed, and adb detects my phone so it's good (I think).

I read some people in XDA saying the adb installer didn't work because they had spaces in the User folder's name in Windows (and I have spaces too).
Like: "C:\Users\Separate Name\...", so:
Does the fastboot .bat have any issues if the User folder has spaces? I know it's not said anywhere in the instructions, but it also wasn't said for adb, so I want to make sure it'll work.

 

[Igor Eisberg]

Does the fastboot .bat have any issues if the User folder has spaces? I know it's not said anywhere in the instructions, but it also wasn't said for adb, so I want to make sure it'll work.

Shouldn't be an issue at all, as long as you don't nest it too deeply, because Windows has a path length limit.
If you inspect the scripts, you'll see that we're using relative paths, not absolute ones, so spaces in any of the parent folders shouldn't be a problem.

 

[TheJanox824]

Well, it ended quickly. I can't even get past the unlocking part. The Mi Unlock wants me to add my phone number, but when I do, it says my number is invalid, so it can't be verified. I already tried putting the area code different, using dashes, but no luck. So I guess I'll just stick with the stock MIUI
Thanks anyway.