Develop Bugs

[HaRET] hx4700 linux development - ubuntu image available

Soft chewy center
Here are instructions and downloads that will have you on your way in no time, to running Linux on an IPAQ hx4700.
Step 1: Download a disk image
Ubuntu light weight X desktop download
Android download currently this barely boots
Step 2: Uncompress the file
See p7zip link
Step 3a: Copy the image to a CF or SD card using Linux
Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you extracted the img file.
Code:
cd somedirectory
Copy the image to the card using dd
Code:
sudo dd if=image-name.img of=/dev/sdx
Where x is the destination of your card. Note there is no partition number "i.e. /dev/hda1" Just the destination letter /dev/hda
Step 3b: Copy the image to a CF or SD card using Windows
Code:
stub
Step 4: Edit startup.txt if you are using a SD card
Code:
stub
Step 5: Run HaRET
Safely remove the card from your computer, insert it in to your hx4700 navigate to the card directory using the file manager then click on haret.exe
Hard crunchy shell
Stuff for the masochist that lives inside you.
Kernel 2.6.21-hh20
Found the source tarball for 2.26.21-hh20 on this link.
I found an android patch for 2.6.21 at this link.
Finally I hammered out this patch that applies smoothly with no fuzz.
And here is my .config file.
Android usb gadget and the low memory killer currently need some love. But without configuring them the kernel compiles nicely
A-Z build instructions
Code:
stub
HaRET
I use HaRET to boot linux on the hx4700, until that day comes when I have learned enough about the hx4700 to provide a ROM, tinboot isn't really that hard to use.
Also the latest HaRET does not boot the hx4700 maybe it is being built with a newer instruction set, until I get a newer version compiling there is an older version in the .img files that works fine.
stub- haret from source
Filesystems
These xxx.img files should be written to a cf card using dd, or sd card if you change startup.txt and the swap file in /dev/fstab. The card should be no less than 1 GB. Gparted can resize/move your partitions if you have a larger card.
I have to admit I don't have a 1gb card to test the img file on, only a 4 and 2 GB card. If someone who does have one finds out that it doesn't boot or something let me know.
Card image layout:
fat16 16mb [haret] partition 1
ext 880mb [root] partition 2
linux-swap 128mb [swap] partition 3
Creating an Ubuntu file system
Creating a file system to run Linux on the hx4700 via HaRET. Rootstock is a tool the will pull down precompiled packages suitable for various devices, from a server. Then install, unpack, and configure them on a disk image file system inside a virtual machine, all without you leaving the comfort of your x86 compatible environment.
For rootstock I followed this guide link.
I used this command to create the image.
Code:
sudo ./rootstock --fqdn ubuntu --login xda --password xda --imagesize 3G --seed tslib,build-essential,openssh-server,lxde,gdm --dist jaunty
I'm still thinking of including gnome-core simply for more function but lxde will have to do as the session manger. Gnome is just to heavy.
Light weight X download link at top of page
working:
the Mouse pad is configured
all drivers and firmware load
auto login via gdm.conf
/etc/network/interfaces is preconfigured for usb net and stubbed out for wireless.
not working:
touch screen - needs configured
wireless?? - I think only OPEN or WEP is supported ATM.
Android
stub- building the android filesystem
android.img download link located at top of post
now if I could just get the hang of making my forum post... not ugly

Nice! very nice!

Marvelous news, THX man!

...i love you! :']
As soon as I found this thread I smiled like a giddy school girl. My hx4700 might just be useful once again! I know nothing on programming... but i'd be glad to help out in any way possible!

Update folks,
I was up all night slaving away at this but, WE HAVE AN ANDROID PATCHED KERNEL!!! its 2.6.21.hh20 with android patches. This means the drivers should be easier to get worked out.
And Android almost boots, I suspect its the generic "goldfish" file system or some other trivial thing stopping it from booting all the way.
After mounting root and running /init, It shows the message "A N D R O I D_" then freezes well not really freezes the cursor continues to blink. but still almost there...
edit - links added

thanks
thanks a lot it's very usefull

Just seen a boot animation, it just got real people... but still not booting all the way.

keep up the good work...seems that this is the only development going on for my trusty iPaq 4700.......

I just want to say thanks for all the supportive comments. It's a real shot in the arm when I'm feeling over whelmed by the complexities of this. I did something really stupid with "sudo dd" last night and boogered up my root file-system, so I'm spending today re-setting up my build environment

All of the hardware is supported but just not pushed upstream but I’m working on a new 3.0 kernel right now for the universal when I finish I will add the hx4700 patches and post the source and message you. But I know wifi, Bluetooth, touchpad, sound, led, and all buttons work in 3.0. And these are the same on the universal and I have these working with froyo now. But I can post my 2.6.36 kernel I’m using now after I make a few corrections.
Here's my form page link
And this is where some of my code and android builds are: link
The common.tar.gz is my old 2.6.36 kernel I have to make some corrections and fix the hx4700 code I messed up and reload it in a day or so.
--I had to post this here as I got a message that you cannot receive private messages.

Thanks!
Don't know why you got that message, I did get your PM.

Could you make a tutorial, step by step how to run android(haret, etc.) on hx4700, please?
I'm noob in windows mobile tools

im currently running Angstrom on my hx4700
but would love android too..
havent tried any of these images yet. but ill probably have some
spare time this week..
/Kyndal

On tenterhooks ...
It failed to boot (couldn't mount /dev/hda2 I think) when I tried to install and run from a Compact Flash, so I'm in the middle of dd-ing to an SD card instead. Fingers crossed ...
EDIT: It boots fine from the SD card.
However, it's rather sluggish at best, and there don't seem to be many productivity apps -- and no onscreen keyboard. Still, it's a start!
EDIT 2: Attached a small photograph for the curious. Sorry about the blur, but I couldn't manage a better shot, given the lighting and the camera's fudged-up CCD.
kyndal said:
im currently running Angstrom on my hx4700
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How in the world did you manage that? I've been trying to get Angstrom working on my hx4700 for months now, without success. (Aside from an old bootpack that literally has no useful programs.)

I haven't had much luck with any "new" Angstrom builds from the
narcissus online builder..
Right now. im running an older X11 build
booting from SD card .img file
Functional.. but ya. not up to date..
/Kyndal

kyndal said:
I haven't had much luck with any "new" Angstrom builds from the
narcissus online builder..
Right now. im running an older X11 build
booting from SD card .img file
Functional.. but ya. not up to date..
/Kyndal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like a copy of this .img file (cleaned of personal stuff, of course). It'd be nice to have a usable Angstrom for a change.

you can try it out with the prebuild images (OLD)
apparently im not allowed to post external links yet...
so go to this address
angstrom-distribution.org/releases/2007.12/images/hx4700/
and download
Angstrom-x11-image-glibc-ipk-2007.12-hx4700.rootfs.img.bz2
Angstrom-boot-2.6.21-hh20-r6-hx4700.exe
extract the .img file from bz2 to a FAT SD card
and place the .exe there too..
run the .exe select the img file. can be a little fiddly on the "touchpad"
"enter" is like in the middle. and half the time moves the cursor up/down
this linux lives in the loop .img file on vfat..
not on partitions. so pretty easy to try..
run these commands to get online with wifi
su
/sbin/modprobe acx
/sbin/modprobe hx4700-acx
/sbin/iwconfig wlan0 essid ACCESSPOINT
/sbin/ifconfig wlan0 up
/Kyndal

kyndal said:
you can try it out with the prebuild images (OLD)
Angstrom-x11-image-glibc-ipk-2007.12-hx4700.rootfs.img.bz2
Angstrom-boot-2.6.21-hh20-r6-hx4700.exe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've tried the image before - months ago -- but I didn't know about those commands /sbin! I'll give them a try and see if I can get anything useful installed (the image comes without any useful GUI - or even CLI, for the most part - applications).
EDIT: Unfortunately, even though the package manager seems to be capable of fetching the correct packages (it's hard to tell), it consistently fails to install them -- I even tried installing man and nano (one at a time) and was met with failure even though the URLs check out. (abiword took longer before failure, hence my suspicion it downloads fine).
I apologize for derailing the thread like this, but this is the only place I've found since I got interested in putting Linux on my iPAQ where someone is actually *answering* my questions.

It's ok Strife89, I appreciate you all actively helping out, I was out of town house hunting last week.
Maybe everyone here could come up with a "wish list" request for packages to be installed among other useful things/configuring/etc, so we can all help polish the ubuntu installation, and make it something nice/useful.
As far as android goes, I have more confidence in the kernel than I do the file system, as to where I am right at this moment, donut will boot and show a boot animation. That is as far as I have gotten, but still it is progress.
I look forward to working with anyone interested with helping out, so lets here some thoughts/suggestions.

Well let me add mine first I guess we need a clearer easier tutorial on getting linux booting from the sd or cf card. both of these options have subtle differences and need better defined instructions.
edit- As far as installing apps to the ubuntu.img. The usbnet interface is configured on the hx4700 side hopefully, if some one wants to do some googling on how to get it setup all the way on the PC side of things, I think we would all appreciate that. Then we could just ssh in and apt-get anything we wanted to try out or change. Later we could make it part of the download/tutorial after testing.

[GUIDE][All-In-One]LG Optimus Me P350

So, I decided to write this guide here as I couldn't find a complete one and had to jump from thread to thread (and sometimes even the sub-forum) for finding the answer.
First I wrote it in my blog and I decided to post it here. Maybe some steps are vague in details but I'm planning to detail it even more (remember, I wrote it in my personal blog first). So, here it is:
AIO LG Optimus Me P350 Guide​
Some Personal History
My experience with Android. UF! Where to start? So, I got my phone from the United States. You have no idea how wonderful it was to have the phone in my hands. Anxiety and curiosity. For some reason I always read that the first thing anyone does is root the phone and then continue doing everyday activities that do not require root, so I tried to live without rooting the phone, but I couldn’t wait for the week to go by. I had to get the best! Small problems, fixes and updates. And since I have my phone on sale, I publish this step by step guide to modify it and not die trying.
Tech Specs
Let’s start from the beginning, know the phone. Mid/low-range phone created by LG for those in a short budget but want to have a good Android experience. It has a 600 MHz processor, 256 MB RAM and ROM capacity of 512 (140 MB available for applications and data). 2.8 inch capacitive screen, 240 × 320 screen resolution. Wi-Fi b/g wireless connection, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, and USB 2.0 up to 480 Mbit/s. 3.1 MP camera (no flash) and FM Radio. Not bad for a basic device. Complete specifications can be found here. Enough for a casual user. But if you’re not a casual user (hence a XDA member), read on.
First of all, everything you do on the phone number is on your own. You yourself are responsible for what you do, not do, stop doing, fail, fail to read and/or shortcut you may have taken. These steps are the ones that worked for me. I am not responsible if the phone dies in the process, the cat bites the cable in the middle process, the heavens begins to fall, the 3rd world war starts or if the neighbor has a heart attack … You’ll be calling 911 afterwards… You’ve been warned!
USB Debugging
The first thing you have to learn is to turn on USB debugging. Here is a guide how to do it (If you wanna see a pictorial guide). But essentially you have to go to Settings > Application > Development and check where it says USB Debugging. Pretty easy. What is this good for? Well, for starters. modify the phone however we see fit. But most important USB Debugging allows the phone to communicate verbosely with PC with the Android SDK installed. More on this later.
KDZ Updater
KDZ Updater is an application used by LG for flashing official operating systems themselves. How did this application saw daylight outside the company, I don’t know very well, but apparently a leak appeared on LG India, but not sure. In any case, this application is our last line of salvation and the main tool for our little friend.
To install official KDZs must follow these steps:
Install the updated drivers by following the steps listed on this page.
Connect the phone with USB Debugging activated
IMPORTANT: Disable the Virtual USB Modem device from Windows Device Manager. Omit this step and the device may brick in the upgrade process.
Run the application in Administrator mode (only required on Windows Vista / 7).
In the Type drop-down list select 3GQCT and in PhoneMode, DIAG. Where it says Version, will appear the version that is installed on the phone.
Select the KDZ file to install by clicking on the button with the folder icon. Preferably save the file KDZ in the root of the hard drive as there will be little chance for error when reading the file.
Press the button “Launch Software Update”. The phone will reboot into Emergency Mode. This is normal.
Pray all you know and go for a cup of tea. The process takes about 8 to 10 minutes.
If all went well, the phone will turn off and the program displays a line that says = FINISHED =.
To start, first go into recovery mode by pressing the following buttons: Vol- & Power. This will make any old or unnecessary information to be removed. The phone will reboot into the system normally.
Original Thread
Root (Gingerbreak and SuperOneClick)
Ok, what we came here for. Rooting the phone. How do I do? It’s scary! Says who?! Lets start with the choices we have. Ok, we have the phone, but we have not updated anything, How do I get root? Gingerbreak comes on the scene. Pretty simple process: download, Enable USB Debugging, run, press Root, wait for the restart, confirm. Simple, right? Also read the instructions and warning on the link above in case something I overlooked, but that basically is the process. By the way, install Busybox, very important for future processes.
Stop, stop, stop … And if I upgraded the phone? Gingerbreak seems not to work! What do I do?! Mainly, DO NOT PANIC! First things first. Go to “About phone” and see that version it says; something different than 2.2? Cool, no problem. SuperOneClick comes on scene. Download the application, unzip. I assume you already installed the drivers, right? Otherwise, do it and come back when you have done so. Ready? Continue. Turn on USB Debugging and connect the phone to the computer. Execute the application and press the button that says “Root”. Need more information? Here is a video explaining step by step (its in spanish, but graphics needs no language) and if the antivirus gets all paranoid, read the explanation here.
Recovery (Amon-RA and CWM)
Ok, moving on. Just as clarification: From this step on, the phone should already be rooted. Otherwise, you will mourn at the very end because the phone will brick and you’ll end with a very good and expensive paperweight. What is a Recovery? Here the answer.
This is essential before changing the insides of the phone and a step that I believe needs to be forever linked to rooting process. Why? Simple! Installing a Recovery allows full system backup and restore if something goes wrong. That linking to rooting process? Because if you install a root application, modify the system, and damage the system, it can be restored to a previous time and we’re all happy campers. See?
So this is where we get our hands dirty. Initially, I ask again, have you installed the drivers? (From this point on I shouldn’t ask) Have you rooted the phone? Responded twice yes? Perfect. Now, download the Android SDK or only the .zip attached here (unzip preferably in C:\ADB\) to continue this process. Also download the Recovery that you will install, we have Amon-RA and ClockworkMod (CWM) v5, v5 touch, and v6, extract the recovery.img file to the folder where adb.exe is (If you used the SDK installer, should be at C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools\; if you used the .zip, and extracted as recommended, C:\ADB\). Which to choose? My recommendation, CWM v5 (either one). Connect the phone to the computer in with USB Debugging activated. By the way, how do you feel using command line in Windows? Moving on…
Open a command window, go to where adb.exe is and run the following commands:
Code:
adb push recovery.img /sdcard/
adb push flash_image /sdcard/
With this we have copied what we need into the phone’s SD card. Just to clarify: 1) the flash_image file can only be found in the recovery Amon-RA zip (not sure if it is generic or modified exclusively for the P350, then I’d rather play it safe) and 2) CWM recovery v5 and v5 touch files come in zip-installable, but you can open the file and use recovery.img in it. In CWM v6 there is an installable zip and another to follow this same process. Lets continue…
Code:
adb shell
$ su
# mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock1 /system
# cat /sdcard/flash_image > /system/bin/flash_image
# chmod 755 /system/bin/flash_image
# sync
Up to this we have only prepared the area to install the Recovery. It it recommended to reboot the phone in this step, in case you run out of virtual memory but is not really so necessary (If you see an error message, then reboot). That’s yours decision. Continue…
Code:
adb shell
$ su
# flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.img
# sync
To confirm that everything is installed without issues it must happen one thing and do another thing. What must happen is when you execute the flash_image command, no errors should appear, if otherwise reboot and repeat the last block of commands. What must be done is execute the command reboot recovery and if everything is alright, you should go into Recovery menu, if not then all the information has been erased and back to square 1 (it happened to me the first time).
Kernel
Just for safety: are drivers installed? Root acquired? Recovery installed? Already made a backup of the ROM in use at the moment (so far should be the LG ROM)? Do it!!
So, what’s a kernel? Here’s the answer. What choices do we have? Well not too many, it depends. Are we still on the LG Stock ROM or a Froyo-based ROM (oh, getting ahead aren’t we?!)? Well, the truth, with this ROMs there are not many: Team Pecan Kernel would be my recommendation, RoQ Kernel which also works quite well. CM7 ROM or any other Gingerbread-based? Ron's RM CAF Kernel (updated weekly), pax0r kernel (discontinued), Vivek Kernel (also discontinued but higher than pax0r). Read how to use Recovery for the installation of installable zip files from Recovery. This is also applicable for the installation of ROMs.
ROM
Still with me? Still no cardiac arrest? Relax, breathe! As we reach the last modification process of the phone. After surviving this, you will have the full capacity to recover the phone from any eventuality. Dictionary, which is a ROM? Here the answer.
ROM, What options do we have? Well, although it may seems, there are many options to choose from! We have some created from source code, based-on and others that have been “ported” to work with the device. Among those created from the source we have: CyanogenMod 7.2, Pure CM Invasion and CyanogenMod 9 (Work in Progress, not quite stable), based-on: Androm x4.2 (CM7) Arc XP (CM7), Gingerbread Optimus UI (CM7) Gingerblur (CM7) and MIUI v4 (based on CM7, Arc XP with a theme very close to the real MIUI, Japanese ROM). Ports: JoyOS, ICS (Discontinued unstable), BeautySense (Decent and functional).
Further Development/Tweaks
At the moment a new tool has been released called LG P350 Pecan Toolkit, developed by antdking. Its in early development and so far it roots, unroots and installs recovery. Saves some the hassle of the command line but if we haven’t gone through all the problems and commands, what have we learned? Anyways, here’s the original thread where you can follow the development and post ideas or bugs.
If you wanna go all-in into ROM cracking and research, we have also the LGExtract tool, which unpacks the KDZ file into bits and pieces. DZ Extract Tool extracts the files within a DZ package very much into source code. I've used these tools but as my experience with coding and android development is very close to none all I've done is extract the files and read them. Antdking reminded me of a simple yet powerful tool to continue decompiling the LG filesystem called unyaffsmbn. I came across it when we were trying to decompile baseband (amss.mbn) for CM9 without success, just lo later know that the tool just decompiled system.mbn. Oh well. Antdking compiled unyaffsmbn into a nice little tool ready to work, here it is.
The volume on this phone, as many may know, is low. But there is a way to elevate it. Execute the phone app and press: 3845#*350#. This will bring up a Hidden Menu. Go to: Device Test > Sound Test > Audio CAL Tool > Subsystem Calibration. In the Gain Type dropdown list, select Speaker Gain. Set Data textbox gets focus, input the number 90 and press OK button. In Gain Type, select Input1 Gain, and we press Ok button again. Exit the Hidden Menu. This will elevate the speaker volume but just temporary, it will be restored to default values when rebooted. So either don't reboot or repeat this process everytime you reboot.
And that would be all. Happy hacking!
Great kudos to the real developers here:
drapalyuk: For the first ever recovery for P350, Amon-RA
pax0r: Started it all, Kernel, ROM
ron gokhle: ROMs, Kernel and Recovery builds
vivekkalady: Kernel, Touch Recovery, first ICS port, and some other fix work
nikhil4186: For the KDZ Guide (although written originally for LG P500
antdking: For a great-to-be toolkit

great guide good job

Nicely written.Its a really good guide for all those who are new to P-350 and I believe that it will help them to learn some of the basic stuff.Well done!

to go on the end of this guide, how to extract the files out of the system.mbn to get the system files
http://db.tt/7VruqEzr
it returns similar files to what you find in a rom
I did not make unyaffsmbn
I made the tool that uses unyaffsmbn
enjoy

antdking said:
to go on the end of this guide, how to extract the files out of the system.mbn to get the system files
http://db.tt/7VruqEzr
it returns similar files to what you find in a rom
I did not make unyaffsmbn
I made the tool that uses unyaffsmbn
enjoy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
got the PM and you reminded me of that tool (I remembder I came across it when we were trying to crack amss.mbn for CM9)... I'll post the original thread and the tool you just mentioned...

Updated adding unyaffsmbn tool... Thanks antdking!

Added Volume tweak for speaker to sound harder.

Added P350 (and guide) to XDA wiki. http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/LG_Optimus_Me

dbarrera said:
Added P350 (and guide) to XDA wiki. http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/LG_Optimus_Me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks man :good::good::good::good::good::good::good::good:

Guys We have got Official Support From XDA Please Move This Thread To Our Device Section

Very good!!!
I placed some problem I am having, just in case you have time an patience for this case.
Tks
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461183

Great Guide Man! Thanks a lot.

Root Telstra T-Hub 2 (Technicolor)

Wanting to root my new Telstra T-Hub 2, made by Technicolor.
There appears to be no USB drivers available (nothing via Google)
There also appears to be no way to get into the Download Mode for connection to Odin. (again nothing on Google)
So these two points have left me a bit lost.
It is running Android (GB) 2.3.7
Any one have any ideas????

Rabs_1976 said:
Wanting to root my new Telstra T-Hub 2, made by Technicolor.
There appears to be no USB drivers available (nothing via Google)
There also appears to be no way to get into the Download Mode for connection to Odin. (again nothing on Google)
So these two points have left me a bit lost.
It is running Android (GB) 2.3.7
Any one have any ideas????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got ADB working on my T-Hub 2 by using the generic Google drivers, and edited the adb_usb.ini to just say 0x069B
So far I have problems rooting it.

wocko1 said:
I got ADB working on my T-Hub 2 by using the generic Google drivers, and edited the adb_usb.ini to just say 0x069B
So far I have problems rooting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BUMP

I have this Tablet as-well and having the same problem.
any ideas on the best way to root this thing?
wocko1 do you have any more details on how to got that far?
Thanks guys.
Rabs_1976 said:
Wanting to root my new Telstra T-Hub 2, made by Technicolor.
There appears to be no USB drivers available (nothing via Google)
There also appears to be no way to get into the Download Mode for connection to Odin. (again nothing on Google)
So these two points have left me a bit lost.
It is running Android (GB) 2.3.7
Any one have any ideas????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

was it released in any other countries as another device?
even if we got root on it what can we do for a custom ROM if noone can dev for it

Madaz2 said:
was it released in any other countries as another device?
even if we got root on it what can we do for a custom ROM if noone can dev for it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We as owners/users of T-Hub 2 devices require sensible answers to important questions.
We need usb drivers for the T-Hub 2, either from Telstra or from Technicolor the manufacturer of the device so that we can attain " ROOT ACCESS" via a usb cable connection to a computer.
Unless we can get "ROOT ACCESS" we cannot move applications to an external SD card (32 GB in my case) or use Titanium Backup or certain Antivirus programs that require "ROOT ACCESS".
Please accept the undeniable fact that 1 Gigabyte of storage on the internal SD card is totally insufficient and pathetic, almost as pathetic as the fact that we are still stuck with "Gingerbread" which puts us three versions behind on Android which is now up to "JellyBean" v2.
The fact is, I believe the Android operating system running on the T-Hub 2 is, like all other versions of Android, based on the Linux kernel which is software using the GNU General Public License, which allows people to see, copy, use, and modify for their own needs.
If indeed I am correct in my assumption then Telstra/Technicolor could be in breach of a world standard which would mean that the proprietary blocks and gates that they have built to prevent access to the kernel on the T-Hub 2 are illegal.

Download Mode discovered...and more...
I thought this:
Hold "Volume-" and "Volume+" and "Power Button" boots into download mode. This is incorrect.
This gets you to recovery mode (which shows the Android robot fallen over).

Help!
wocko1 said:
I got ADB working on my T-Hub 2 by using the generic Google drivers, and edited the adb_usb.ini to just say 0x069B
So far I have problems rooting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have been looking for the drivers everywhere, and so far none of them have worked. Even tried wireless adb to no avail. Also tried gingerbreak but still nothing. Sick of looking at the bloatware. Someone please help!

anyone had more success now that it has ICS 4.0.4

Yes, it can be rooted, but...
Hi,
Yes, much more progress. I've gained ADB root access using the restore method (i.e., restoring a backup which has been modified to install a file to a strange path, e.g,: ../../../system/bin/su), I recommend creating your own restore file rather than using one of the many out there and using it to install the necessary SU software to the appropriate locations.
If your device isn't detected by ADB, check that the device ID has been added to the ADB config file. The Thub2 ID is not recognised automatically. Also, when using fastboot remember to specify this ID or it won't find your THub.
The biggest issue with the THub2 is that Telstra have (in an oddly intelligent move) adopted SquashFS for the root file system; this is the FS used on things like linux liveCD's, and it's 100% RO (well, 99% RO . I have gotten around this in a number of ways. 1: I copied the SquashFS partition using DD to an Ext4 partition, then forced a dirty unmount of the SquashFS partiition chained to a mount of the new Ext4 partition to /system. RW access no problems, SU installs OK, but no persistence without forcing the dirty unmount each boot. 2: I copied the SquashFS partition to my ~ using DD, mounted and edited the partition, then re-flashed to the thub. worked much better, persistence across reboots, but dangerous and dodgy method that could risk many NANDs. 3: I cross-compiled a busybox containing UnionFS to Android.
Option 3 is by far the best option. UnionFS provides a transperent RW layer for SquashFS filesystems, writing the updates that couldn't be written to a RO system like squash to another partition (e.g., Ext4 on SD card). Mount a UnionFS system over /system to enable write access to the system. Maybe a better idea to mount it at /, but that raises other problems I couldn't be bothered dealing with.
I mentioned above that SquashFS is on 99% RO (in all my other experiences, it has been well and truly 100% RO, so this indicates something else a-going on that we should be able to use; I haven't looked into it yet.). For some reason, files installed to the Thub2 using the Restore method are persistent. Very useful, and should lead to a cleaner method.
So rooting so far:
Root with Restore method to install (1 & 2., SU bins, or 3., UnionFS Busybox)
Remount / as RW
-->Path 1 & 2
Dirty unmount /system && dirty unmount /system2 && mount /dev/block/etc.. NOTE: Once you dirty unmount /system, you will need to reference the location of the Ext4 partiition using the absolute (real) name of the device. You will also need to invoke busybox from a fully qualified path, eg. /data/local/tmp/busybox, as the internal /bin applications are no longer available (eg., mount).​
-->Path 3
No need to umount /system, just mount the UnionFS system over the top.​
Finally, for Paths 1 & 3...
Install Superuser application and be free!​
So to sum up; I have easily rooted the Thub2 to root over ADB using a number of methods, however the Restore method works 100% of the time. I have mounted an Ext4 system to /system in order to have RW, but this isn't persistent. I have re-flashed the SquashFS with modified content, and this works a treat, but is RO and dangerous to NAND. I have mounted a UnionFS system over the SquashFS system, and this seems to provide the best all round performance.
I also wrote a short and nasty .apk to mount the UFS system without terminal, so that's a go as well.
Have fun pulling it all apart; I don't read these message boards, so I probably won't se any questions. More than enough to get rooted though.

THub Drivers and ADB Access
THUB 2 DRIVER INSTALLATION AND ADB ACCESS
This method sets out how to install drivers for the THub 2 and access ADB (Android Debug Bridge).
Access to ADB is the usual way that you use to Root an Android device.
Please note that not all ADB versions work. If you download and try a root method, you may have to copy the ADB.exe and support files across so that the root method can at least have a chance of working.
INSTALLING GOOGLE UNIVERSAL ANDROID DRIVERS
1. Ensure that Debugging has been enabled – Settings  Developer options  USB debugging and make sure the box is checked
2. The following is for Windows 7, other versions will be similar
3. Unzip the file and copy contents to a folder on the C: drive. I copied it to a folder I named THub
4. Plug the THub into your PC and it will try to find suitable drivers – some drivers may load and install but at least one will come up with “No driver found”
5. Open “Computer”
6. Click on “System properties”
7. Click on “Device Manager”
8. Under “Other devices” you will see T-Hub2 with an icon with a yellow exclamation mark.
9. Right-click the device and select "Update Driver"
10. Select "Browse my computer for driver software"
11. Select "Let me pick from a list of device drivers"
12. Click “Show All Devices”
13. Click “Have disk …”
14. Browse to where you put the extracted files
15. Select and open “Android_winusb.inf”
16. Select “Android Composite ADB Interface”
17. Click “Next” and then Click “Yes” (Ignore warning)
18. Wait until the software installs
19. You should now have Android Composite Interface” under the “Android Phone” listing
If you have problems, ensure Debugging is selected and try unplugging the THub and reconnecting it
ACCESSING ADB
1. Ensure that Debugging has been enabled – Settings  Developer options  USB debugging and make sure the box is checked
2. The following is for Windows 7, other versions will be similar, It also assumes that the file has been down loaded, unzipped and installed in a folder called THub on you C: drive
3. Connect the THub to your PC
4. Click in the “Start” icon, lower left icon on your PC Desktop
5. In the entry box type in “CMD” and push “Enter”
6. You will be at the “Command Prompt”
7. You need to navigate to the “THub” folder, the following are my entries, and yours should be similar.
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
C:\Users\Terry>cd .. and “Enter”
C:\Users>cd .. and “Enter”
C:\>
C:\>cd THub and “Enter”
C:\THub>
8. At the THub folder type in “ADB devices” and “Enter”
9. You should get an output similar to this:
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
List of devices attached
01545CAB0B015004 device
C:\THub>
10. You now have ADB access
11. Try “adb shell” and “Enter” to enter ADB and then “ls” and “Enter” to get the THub Root folder listing
What next, I don’t know but at least we have ADB access?
I have been trying to copy system files to my SD card to have a look at them but have no success.
Does anyone know how?
Here is the site I uploaded the files to:
"You can fill in the missing bits"
xxx.mediafire.com/download/voku3wnuff5s2ef/THub.zip
NOTE: There is also a file called “UniversalAdbDriverSetup6.msi”.
I don’t know what it is for, but I installed it anyway. It MAY be necessary for the above method.

Firstly, I understand this is an old thread but quite a lot of us Australians have this THub 2 now because Telstra seem to basically be handing them out like shots at a party.
As far as I know this thing still has no root access. You can get into ADB with it without too much trouble.
But what I really want to know is how I can get root access with SuperSU so I can install something like AdAway to remove the seemingly ridiculous amount of advertisements that apps and etc. come with.
In addition to that, after installing just TWO small apps. It seems the device's internal memory is already full and it cannot install any more apps.. I need root access in order to run Apps2SD so I can move some apps to the SD card that I have purchased for it.
Does anyone, and I mean anyone have any ideas about how to root this thing? There has to be some Australian who has a rooted version with SuperSU running.
I tried 'towelroot' but the device just rebooted (meaning it failed) and then when I ran the .apk again it said that the device was unsupported.
It's one thing to be able to get access to the root partition (which is possible over ADB) but it's another to be able to run apps with root privileges.
For any information.
The specs are:
Manufacturer - Technicolor
Operating System - Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4
Processor - 1 GHz dual core
Screen - 7″ (1024 x 600 pixels)
Camera - 1.9 MP rear camera, 1.2 MP HD front camera
RAM - 1GB
Storage - 2 GB Internal with an expandable Micro SD card slot (1GB internal usable)
Battery - 6000 mAh (non-removable)
I know it's nothing amazing, but if I could root the device and change the DPI, remove advertisements and install a few hacks. I'd get so much more out of the device.
I picked it up in almost perfect condition second-hand off eBay for only $15. They're worth $360 AU brand-new.
If anyone has any information at all, please do post something. My apologies again for bumping a super old thread but otherwise I was going to just start my own.

Possible to restore system partition
Hi Guys,
I done goofed.
I killed my T-Hub by flashing a corrupted system partition and now the device wont boot and only displays the Telstra logo at the boot loader. I do have a backup of my system partition however I cant work out how I would perform the restore. The boot loader will not allow an ADB connection so no luck there.
Im thinking JTAG may be my only option. I have experience with this on other devices but i cant find the JTAG terminals on this thing? I must have tapped about 60 different combinations of testpoints now and have only been able to get console out of the radio module which is obviously no good for talking to the kernel.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Swamp

SwampCrack1210 said:
Hi Guys,
I done goofed.
I killed my T-Hub by flashing a corrupted system partition and now the device wont boot and only displays the Telstra logo at the boot loader. I do have a backup of my system partition however I cant work out how I would perform the restore. The boot loader will not allow an ADB connection so no luck there.
Im thinking JTAG may be my only option. I have experience with this on other devices but i cant find the JTAG terminals on this thing? I must have tapped about 60 different combinations of testpoints now and have only been able to get console out of the radio module which is obviously no good for talking to the kernel.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Swamp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm completely new to this. What ROM would i look for to install on the THUB if any? And if i could install it?

clearburn said:
I'm completely new to this. What ROM would i look for to install on the THUB if any? And if i could install it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry but no one has developed a ROM for this device, there is no demand

Madaz2 said:
sorry but no one has developed a ROM for this device, there is no demand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I thought there might have been a rom from the basic device that didn't have all of the Telstra stuff on it.
It is currently a brick

if you can root it then you could install Titanium backup and uninstall the bloatware off of it

Some moderate success
I have had some moderate advancements of late.
I can get temporary ADB root using the directory traversal exploit
.
While the above method gets you a root terminal session, as it screws with some settings the device is nearly unusable due to screen flicker and general lag. I guess the exploit breaks some settings. Does anyone know how to leave the exploit in place and restore the settings file to eliminate the flickering and lag?
I have been able to export the system partition, edit it (add su.bin and SuperUser.apk) then swap the system mount so the device uses my edited system partition as described by malleus. When I try to flash my partition the device reboots and is in a semi brick state (reboot loop, stuck on boot loader Telstra logo).
I was able to obtain the OTA update files by getting an old 2.3.7 device, rooting it then grabbing the OTA files using ADB once it had downloaded them. These OTA's can be flashed from an SD card (ext4 format) in 3e recovery. This was a good bit of progress as it means I can restore from a bricked state. If anyone needs them, the files I have are:
Product_4.0.4_3.38-FOTA
Product_4.0.4_3.48-FOTA
This is all new territory for me but i think I am getting close to achieving full, persistent root in 4.0.4.
Any help would be appreciated.

I would be very interested in your progress as I have one of these but in default state it is only usable as a phone on the DECT base.....
Having some useful apps running off an SD card would help no end (like multimedia remote for my home theatre system)
Cheers,
Alex B
SwampCrack1210 said:
I have had some moderate advancements of late.
I can get temporary ADB root using the directory traversal exploit
.
While the above method gets you a root terminal session, as it screws with some settings the device is nearly unusable due to screen flicker and general lag. I guess the exploit breaks some settings. Does anyone know how to leave the exploit in place and restore the settings file to eliminate the flickering and lag?
I have been able to export the system partition, edit it (add su.bin and SuperUser.apk) then swap the system mount so the device uses my edited system partition as described by malleus. When I try to flash my partition the device reboots and is in a semi brick state (reboot loop, stuck on boot loader Telstra logo).
I was able to obtain the OTA update files by getting an old 2.3.7 device, rooting it then grabbing the OTA files using ADB once it had downloaded them. These OTA's can be flashed from an SD card (ext4 format) in 3e recovery. This was a good bit of progress as it means I can restore from a bricked state. If anyone needs them, the files I have are:
Product_4.0.4_3.38-FOTA
Product_4.0.4_3.48-FOTA
This is all new territory for me but i think I am getting close to achieving full, persistent root in 4.0.4.
Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Has anyone made any progress on this?
I have two of these tablets that have sat unused since I got them from Telstra. I really just want to update it to at least 4.1, but there's no official release from Telstra for the T-Hub, and I don't think there will be. Are ports entirely unfeasible?
Do you think I could contact Technicolor? What should I say?
P.S. there is a recovery mode, because I've booted into it.
hxxp://imgur.com/O0uq4Uk

Rooting Every Spreadtrum SC6820/SC8810 phones ! (1.5)

Hello,
In this thread I will teach you every method I had to use to root any Spreadtrum devices, Starting with the riskless ones to the reckless ones.
I have to warn you that the last root method (using ResearchDownload to load a modified system.img) may be dangerous ! (because of possible partition table changes)
The others methods are pretty safe, don't be afraid by them if you do exactly what I wrote.
Theses processors are also named SP6820 and SP8810, it's exactly the same processor, it's just some misnaming from Chinese sellers.
Theses methods do work on the newest Spreadtrum CPUs, like the SC7710 (the 3G WCDMA model), and the more powerful SC8825/SC6825 (dual core).
Why buying a Spreadtrum based phone ?
They are really cheap, and they work amazingly well ! They can play some games and emulators very well, that's unexpected for such low end devices (50$ or less)
They usually only have 256MB of RAM but despite that, they still runs well ! (I tested a lot of games and some 3D games are working flawlessly, pretty amazing) - I discovered that they are using zram (or other swap methods) to provide more RAM by compressing it when needed. That's pretty neat and really helps with such a small amount of RAM !
They are very good as a portable multimedia device, to read mails, browsing the web, play some games, mp3, videos.
As a 2G phone they are competent, but the 2G modem is not as good as the one in MTK processors. (It takes longer to load something in the same conditions)
Boot very fast, and have decent battery life. (3-4 hours of video out of a 1200 mAh battery - 5-6 hours out of a 1800 mAh)
Why you should not ?
Not true anymore, but they were extremely difficult to root in some cases.
They don't seem to be well tested ... You can have a microphone so quiet nobody will be able to ear you. But it's easy to fix as you can see here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=38731407
They don't have any form of usable 3G support. (except the SC7710 who have WCDMA 850/2100 compatibility)
They usually have only 256MB of RAM again. So that can be a problem when you are, for example, using Opera Mobile Classic with more than 3 tabs. And make the transition between apps longer.
SC6820 and SC8810 model are all using Android 2.x, even if some are marketed as Android 4.0 phone (very big and blatant lie !)
They usually use android 2.3, but some are only Android 2.2 phones ! (The fake Android 4.0.3 for instance is usually only android 2.2)
SC6825 and SC8825 seems to only have a (real this time) Android 4.0.3 firmware. 4.1 are better is often advertised, but it's again ... lies ... Android 4.0 is not really suitable for phones with only 256 MB of RAM, so SC6825/8825 phones are pretty rough on the edges. Using more than one tab on the default web browser is asking for troubles for example.
They all use the MocorDroid Firmware. It's some kind of fork of Android that use NON-Standards and sometime buggy Launchers and they often use alternative keyboards like Go Keyboard which is kind of a bad choice considering the RAM and ROM constraints on theses devices ...
The only difference between the SC6820 and the SC8810 is the support for the Chinese form of 3G.
If you don't live in china, that means this two processors are essentially the same. (Don't trust sellers, the 8810 is NOT WCDMA "3G" compatible)
Some phones with the fake Android 4.0.3 based on 2.3.5 will brick themselves nearly 2 months after you first used it. It's a really weird behavior of this early Spreadtrum firmware. So if you have this firmware, just do whatever it takes to root it, make a backup and install CWM as soon as possible to be able to recover from this possible breakage. It's only a problem with a fraction of Spreadtrum phones, but you will be very happy if you have installed CWM before encountering it ^^ (applicable only if you bought one in 2012)
A lot of fakery in the Spreadtrum scene. For example fake MTK6515/MTK6572 phones that are in fact just SC6820/SC6825 phones with a firmware modified to lie its processor ID to populars android benchmarking tools like Antutu Benchmark.
If you are searching for a 512MB RAM phone, you'd better go for an MTK(6575/6572 or better) Phone. As you will never find a real 512MB Spreadtrum phone in the jungle of lies you are looking at ...
On all model with 2.3.5 based firmware (SC6820 and SC8810 essentially), you can have a lot of problems with the SIM card detection on some sim cards. For example I can't call somebody with mine, but I can answer a call or send/receive SMS ... Very weird bug ...
This bug seems to be related on the type a sim card you have. With some their is no problem at all.
I can confirm that it's working flawlessly on SC6825 and 8825 based phones with the real 4.0.3 based firmware.
Why rooting it ?
Because a lot of them come with a lot of sh*tty softwares, including the bad launcher and keyboard.
Because they can come with a "Virus" that can send SMS messages to china (so you have to pay for unwanted international SMS cost)
I myself have this Virus on one of my phones, as of now, I haven't noticed anything unusual. Just the useless, unkillable com.android.caivs.app process eating 15 MB of RAM doing nothing. (It is a significant waste of ram on such devices)
(As of now I only seen this malware on Feiteng devices - You can share your experience with this thing down bellow)
More about CAIVS here: http://web.archive.org/web/20110812021151/http://www.cseed.cn/chinese/news/portfolio2.htm
That virus was on most of the earliest Spreadtrum phones but don't seem to be a worry nowadays. But I haven't tried any new Feiteng devices. They were so poor in quality that I will never buy feiteng again so find it by yourselves if you feel adventurous xD
How-to do that ?!
If you are lucky you will be able to root your phone by traditional means.
If you are not, you can root them by manually adding the root utilities to the ROM.
I will describe every methods that you should try in order of difficulty and risks.
Before doing any of that, go to the android setting -> applications -> Development -> Check USB Debugging.
Universal Root utilities
Theses methods are safe, and the second one is, as of now, working on every Spreadtrum phones flawlessly !
1.1 - Z4Root
Just try z4root !
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=833953
z4root is a little tool to root Android 2.2 and sometime work on 2.3
It's known to work on devices with the fake Android 4.0.3 based on 2.2 and MocorDroid 2.2.2
It may work on more of them, just try, there is no risks at all.
Make sure you have at least 50 MB of available space on the /data partition before trying this. (not the SDCard, the Applications Space)
Try a temporary root to see if it works, then you can do the permanent root.
You will maybe have to try it 2 or 3 times before it works.
Even if it doesn't work, reboot the phone after this. Because it can eat your battery while running in the backgroung if it fails.
1.2 - vRoot
vRoot is a chinese tool to root many devices !
It's proved to work very well with Spreadtrum (and MTK) devices. I used it successfully on a lot of Spreadtrum devices, even the most recent ones (SC8825).
You only need a Windows Computer (I personally use it on Windows 7 32bits).
Then download it from here: http://www.mgyun.com/en/getvroot
Install it and then open it.
As of now you only need to plug your USB cable to your computer, and then click on the Root button. (you don't need to do anything else, don't touch your phone)
Once it's done and the phone rebooted you will be rooted !
The root app is some kind of custom chinese one, but it's working properly.
Don't try to replace it with SuperSU as SuperSU don't seem to work properly on Spreadtrum devices.
If you want to understand what the root app is saying, try to set the language on your device to English.
2 - Custom Firmware Flash
Please never use any custom firmware available in .pac file format ! Or at least, don't use them before doing a full backup of your current firmware !
Feiteng A7100 (only if you have the mt6515_c910_ht_en_4.0_v01 rom/firmware on it !!! If not, don't touch it, you will end up with a brick ! Or screen reversed, or other strange bugs): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2149396
If you have a Feiteng A7100 I really recommend NOT TO USE this rom ! Why ? Because it only works on a fraction of A7100, newer releases of the same phone don't use the same firmware. With this tutorial here, you can root your A7100 easily and way safer. Please go to "4-" on this tutorial to know how to root your A7100.
If you append to find some others Custom roms for spreadtrum devices, or are making one, please send me a PM, I will link them here.
3 - Fastboot to the rescue !
If every fast, simple and secure methods are not working, then this will be difficult my friend !
3.1 - Find Fasboot
First, let check if we have fastboot in your phone !
Fastboot is a little tool inside the bootloader. It's here to help you flash the firmware.
Not every Spreatrum phones have it, so let's check if you are lucky !
You can access it by powering on the phone up while holding a key.
First power off your phone.
Then hold some button like volume+
while pressing this button, press and hold down the power button.
Keep holding the two buttons until the screen light up.
You should now have something on your screen. Maybe a system diagnostic tool (a menu with a set of system tests, that's totally useless) or maybe the recovery mode (a screen with a warning sign, and now your phone is stuck here until you pull out the battery) or, and that means victory, a screen that says "Fastboot".
If you are not on fastboot, but are on the Recovery or the System Test, turn the phone off again and try another button press at boot time exactly like I said before.
This time, try the Home button if you have one, or the Volume-.
You should also try buttons combinations. Like volume up and down at the same time. Home + vol Up, etc and maybe the 3 at the same time ...
(if you just boot as if nothing was pressed, you maybe have to unplug the battery, wait for a while and put it back before powering the phone on. Theses things are also not working when the usb/charging cable is plugged in - if some keys combinations are not doing anything, it's perfectly fine, it means they don't trigger any hidden boot mode)
If nothing bring fastboot up, you have to use the Spreadtrum Debug tool "ResearchDownload" ...
So Skip to "4-" ! ^^
3.2 - Install the drivers
If you append to find Fastboot, we will have to install the PC part of it !
Like every android phone, you have to install adb and his drivers to access the Android Debug Bridge.
You can find them and learn how they work here: http://dottech.org/21534/how-to-ins...ows-computer-for-use-with-your-android-phone/
On Ubuntu or Debian Linux you just have to install them that way:
Code:
sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot
You also have to install the phone drivers if you are using Windows:
ADB Drivers: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?c5nf3rlhxmxhu4x
Debug Drivers: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2tyg0k2xp3ejgyg
Mirror: http://www.mediafire.com/?o9km8vl287ev24j
Then you will have to tell adb what phone to use. By that I mean adding the PCI ID to a text file to tell adb that this peripheral is compatible.
The Spreadtrum PCI ID is 0x1782
add this line to "Your user directory/.android/adb_usb.ini"
Code:
0x1782
3.3 - Using fastboot to load CWM (Clockwork Mod)
CWM work on some of theses Spreadtrum devices, most of the time, the screen is reversed, but it works !
On some phone, you will be presented with a blank screen, but CWM will work ... That will just be very difficult to navigate ... (don't bother and use another method if you append to be in this boat)
Here are the recovery images available for Spreadtrum device to my knowledge:
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?u6uyignmdcpillt - extracted from a random SC6820 that I don't remember
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?bosnfcq9n65mtc5 - i9270+
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xem49dy5dh99ml0 - 5830, S5830, Q5830, Q206 and GT-N9300 (maybe more)
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?adfwq6b5268qb58 - S9300 (SC6820A S3 Clone)
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?y2f7aaan4b00l1m - Feiteng GT-A7100 and probably more Feiteng devices.
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?lg7m6v49efzpnjk - 6500-TV or S560
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?6xn977jjsuusjan - N9300 (I9300 Clone)
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?d68wc334qn47tdd - S930 or N8820
If your device is not listed or the one for your device doesn't work, try them all, even if your phone is SC6820 and the recovery was made for SC8810, if none are working, we will have to flash the entire system partition, which is a lot more difficult and dangerous ...
Flashing CWM to the phone:
Linux Only: Initialize ADB:
Code:
sudo adb kill-server
sudo adb start-server
Boot your phone in fastboot mode.
Be sure your device shows up:
Code:
fastboot devices
if your device show up, it's time to flash
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
It's flashed ! Let's reboot now.
Code:
fastboot reboot
Start on CWM, if it works, you can start to root the phone !
Download this patch: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?131nsw87afzwb5v
Put it on the root of your SD Card.
Now you will have to boot on CWM, he is on the same key combination than the old useless recovery was. (Most of the time Volume- and Power)
You can also try this command with adb:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
Now it's the perfect time to do a full backup of your firmware with CWM, so please do so, that can come in handy. (please go to the end of this tutorial after rooting your phone to know how to make a FULL backup. CWM will only make a partial one.)
choose apply update.zip
Choose the file you have put on your sd card before
Apply it then reboot.
This update.zip have pushed everything needed to root your phone in the right place, you should be rooted now !
If you have an error like:"Can't mount /sdcard" you may have to try with another SD Card and be sure your SD Card if formated as Fat32.
3.4 - Using Fastboot to load a modified system partition image
Please follow the instructions down bellow on how to "5 - Create a rooted system partition image"
When you have done your Rooted system partition image, flash it like that:
Code:
sudo fastboot devices
#if your device show up, it's time to flash
Code:
sudo fastboot flash system system.img
#It's flashed ... Now let's reboot with all the apprehension of the world
Code:
sudo fastboot reboot
If it boots (should boot), you will be up and rooting !
4 - Spreadtrum ResearchDownload tool to the rescue !
First, if you have fastboot, use fastboot ! It's simple, more reliable, faster. It's bottomline better !
If you don't have fastboot or can't figure out how to bring him up on your phone despite trying for about an hour. This tool will most likely work.
First, you should use Windows XP 32bits. Even real XP or in virtualbox.
It might work on windows 7 32 bits and 64 bits but you will have to tweak the system to allow installation of non signed devices drivers ...
ResearchDownload work as this:
First you start the Channelserver - This thing is here to make a bridge between the tools and the driver.
Then you start ResearchDownload.
Now you can make a full firmware flash (you should not !! It's a terrible idea !) or flash a single partition. But to do that, unfortunately, you should have a compatible set of fdl files.
Finding them on google is impossible, you have to extract them from your full firmware .pac file.
If you can't find your firmware on the Internet, you will have to try every single one you can find from others firmwares. I gathered all the fdl files I could find in a single package, so it won't be that difficult.
It's highly probable that you will find one that will work with your phone. This thing have to boot the phone and flash the Nand Flash chip. I'm pretty sure there is not a lot of different ways to do this on a single processor.
I really don't know the risks of using a wrong fdl set. But we haven't seen any risks at all yet. Some will work on your phone, others will just do nothing. You will just have to try every single one until one work.
I named the folders with the names of the phones I know working with theses. So it will be easier to find the good one. (A7100, 6500-TV, 5830, Q206 and S930 users will feel very lucky ^^)
4.1 - Learn how ResearchDownload Work
First you have to install the drivers, you can find them here:
ADB Drivers: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?c5nf3rlhxmxhu4x
Debug Drivers: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2tyg0k2xp3ejgyg
Then you have to plug your phone to your computer with your micro usb cable. Your phone have to be powered on.
Be sure every pieces of hardware are detected and installed correctly.
As you can see, this phone is not just detected as an ADB device, or as a mass storage device.
It actually have an internal serial port to usb adapter !
In other words that means this processor provide a way to flash his nand very easily even if it is fully bricked. It's a rare and pretty good feature you don't see that often. In fact, most of the time you have to solder a real serial port yourself on the phone motherboard, then have to use a Serial to USB adapter to have this level of access to the hardware.
So yes, back to tutorial.
Now you will have to unplug your phone and turn it off.
You have to download the debug tools, you can download them here: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?rngukh111vqfr8h
First you have to start the channel server, you will have to disable your firewall for this app, it's because this tool use a network protocol to communicate with the other tools.
Then open ResearchDownload.
ResearchDownload is a weird flashing utility, it can open a .pac firmware file and can make a .pac out of .img files. You also can flash .img files and that's what we will do. But unfortunately it can't make a full backup ... So be careful !
The cog logo is here to let you open a .pac file. We don't need that as we probably don't have it.
The "two cogs logo" let you configure the flash utility.
Click on this to bring a new window.
On the download settings window, click on select product then choose your type of phone. (SC8810 or SC6820, it doesn't really matters if you take the wrong one out of those two.)
Then uncheck "Select All Files" as you don't have any of theses.
You can see FDL1 and FDL2 are still checked, and you don't have those files ...
As they are needed to start the Flash utility, we will have to find them.
I came across only 3 different FDL1 files, but for theses FDL1 it seems every phone have his own FDL2.
You will have to find the ones that work for you.
Here is an archive of nearly every FDLs available: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?c6q2gxobccv32oj
Choose one FDL1, and one FDL2 located in the same folder. (you can choose a File with a right click on the FileName blank space in front of FDL1)
Click on OK.
Then click on the "Play button" saying start download.
It may show some warning, it's not a problem.
Now, press Volume Down on your phone, then you have to plug it on the USB Port, still holding the button.
You can release the button when the flash begins.
You may have to press an other button than Volume-. Some phones are reported to use the Home Button instead.
You may also have to remove, wait a while, and reinsert the battery before holding volume- or after the flashing procedure to be able to start the phone.
If ResearchDownload shows you an error or timeout, try another set of FDLs Files. Keep trying until you find one pair that work !
If it works the flashing process should start right away. Just a millisecond after Windows have detected and initialized the device when you plugged it.
When you have the right FDLs, you can go to the next step, flashing something useful ^^ (we haven't flashed anything as of now, just been searching for a compatible flashing bios)
If your working FDLs folder does not have the name of your phone, please tell me what phone you have and what FDLs you used so I can rename them.
4.2 - Using ResearchDownload to load CWM (Clockwork Mod)
Do exactly as said before, but check the "Recovery" checkbox on Download Settings. and choose one of theses CWM images:
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?y2f7aaan4b00l1m - Feiteng GT-A7100 and probably more Feiteng devices.
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?lg7m6v49efzpnjk - 6500-TV or S560
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?6xn977jjsuusjan - N9300 (I9300 Clone)
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?d68wc334qn47tdd - S930 or N8820
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xem49dy5dh99ml0 - 5830, S5830, Q5830, Q206 and GT-N9300 (maybe more)
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?bdl1qr7orsj4ebr - extracted from a random SC6820 that I don't remember
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?6g1t6057p6c8wpt - i9720+
* http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?adfwq6b5268qb58 - S9300 (SC6820A S3 Clone)
When you flashed one successfully, try to boot on recovery (Usually by holding Volume- while holding the power button until the screen light up).
If your device is not listed or the one for your device doesn't work, try them all, even if your phone is SC6820 and the recovery was made for SC8810, if none are working, we will have to flash the entire system partition, which is a lot more difficult and dangerous ...
Download this patch: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?131nsw87afzwb5v
Put it on the root of your SD Card.
Now you will have to boot on CWM, remember, he is on the same key combination than the old useless recovery was.
You can also try this command with adb:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
Now it's the perfect time to do a full backup of your firmware with CWM, so please do so, that can come in handy. (please go to the end of this tutorial after rooting your phone to know how to make a FULL backup. CWM will only make a partial one.)
choose apply update.zip
Choose the file you have put on your sd card before
Apply it then reboot.
This update.zip have pushed everything needed to root your phone in the right place, you should be rooted now !
If you have an error like:"Can't mount /sdcard" you may have to try with another SD Card and be sure your SD Card if formated as Fat32.
4.3 - Using ResearchDownload to load a modified system partition image
Now we are in deep **** ! This can be tedious ... You will need to drink a lot of coffee, then you will probably pull your hair off, but it's possible to root every single Spreadtrum devices this way !
Please follow the instructions down bellow on how to "5 - Create a rooted system partition image"
When you have done your Rooted system partition image, reboot on Windows, then flash it like that:
Do exactly as said on the paragraph on how ResearchDownload works, but check the "System" checkbox on Download Settings, and choose your modified system.img file to flash it on the device.
As it is still not tested at all, you will have to pray some kind of Spreadtrum God and hope it will be successful ...
The first boot after the flash can be very VERY long. It's perfectly normal.
After the flash is done, please make a full backup (see bellow how you can do that), so I can make a Clockwork recovery partition working with your phone.
You may need to flush your data partition with CWM to avoid some crazy bugs after the flash. You will have theses bugs because of the partitions realignment that might occurs as a result of using a slightly different FDL set as the manufacturer.
Don't even try to do a factory settings reset before installing CWM, as I don't know what monster can lie ahead if you do a factory reset without any working recovery installed
(If your phone doesn't boot after the flash, it is possible to flush the data and cache partition with ResearchDownload. I will explain it, if needed !)
5 - Create a rooted system partition image
Please always try the CWM method first ! There is no risks at all to destroy your phone if the recovery is not working. Here we are making a new system image to flash on the system partition, this partition contain the Android operating system. I will try to explain everything as good as I can, but if you make a mistake, if you don't read my warnings, you can brick your phone very easily !
That will be difficult ... And you will have to use a Linux computer, or Linux in Virtualbox, or in a Live CD, basically you will need Linux somewhere on your computer ^^
Why ? Because we will have to preserve unix permissions on an extracted tar archive ! Trust me, you will probably brick your phone if you do that on windows ...
#Install ADB
Code:
sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot
#Configure ADB
Code:
mkdir ~/.android
Code:
echo 0x1782 > ~/.android/adb_usb.ini
#Start the ADB server
Code:
sudo adb kill-server
sudo adb start-server
#Just let's check just in case if your device is already rooted
Code:
adb shell su -c id
Possible answers:
uid = 0 (root) gid = 0 (root) - your phone is already rooted ! (if you haven't noticed it, it's because superuser.apk is not installed, so just push it and install it via ADB and you are rooted !)
SU: Permission denied - You are not rooted ... Good luck then !
#Now we will backup the system partition !
Code:
adb shell tar -cf /mnt/sdcard/system.tar system
Please pay attention to the errors !
There will be missing files, and we will have to add theses by ourselves after the backup to pretend to have a full backup.
Here is the archive for the known missing files: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?fm1z5ujc75bg268
If you have more than theses:
Code:
tar: can not open 'system/etc/dbus.conf': Permission denied
tar: can not open 'system/etc/bluetooth/audio.conf': Permission denied
tar: can not open 'system/etc/bluetooth/auto_pairing.conf': Permission denied
tar: can not open 'system/etc/bluetooth/input.conf': Permission denied
tar: can not open 'system/etc/bluetooth/main.conf': Permission denied
tar: system/lost+found: Permission denied
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors
Then you should just give up, or tell me so I can send you the missing files.
Note: Lost+found is not important, it's just a folder automatically created by Linux to collect any corrupt files.
#Now we will pull this nearly full backup to our computer. Please keep it preciously somewhere secure.
Code:
adb pull /mnt/sdcard/system.tar
#Warning, theses next steps have to be made ONLY on Linux on an ext2/3/4 partition ! Please never attempts to do this on Windows or On Linux on a FAT32 partition.
#untar the archive
Code:
sudo tar -xvpf system.tar
#now we will restore the files we have not been able to backup.
#Download this archive if you haven't done this before: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?fm1z5ujc75bg268
#Then extract it on the same folder as you extracted your system.tar file with this command:
Code:
sudo tar -xvpf btdbus.tar
#Now it's time to add the root utilities, you can download them from here: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?v69nm172heos17o
Code:
sudo tar -xvpf root.tar
sudo cp Superuser.apk system/app/Superuser.apk
sudo install -m 06755 su system/xbin/su
#Now we will get rid of this virus ! (the file name can be something else. Like caivs.apk, or some random numbers at the end)
Code:
sudo rm system/app/eyuSales_20121116.apk
#And now you will have to make a flashable system image with this tool, included in the root.tar archive
Code:
sudo ./mkyaffs system system.img
#Now you can reboot your phone in fastboot or use researchdownload to flash your new System image.
6 - Do a full nand backup
Here is how to do a full nand backup of your beloved Spreadtrum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=39270468
7 - Don't forget to remove to caivs Virus
When you are rooted, you can remove the Virus or any preinstalled apps using Link2SD.
I suggest you to remove everything you have preinstalled if it is available on the Google Play Store (except the keyboard or the launcher !!!). For example if you have an old version of ES File Explorer on your phone preventing you from updating it, you can remove it safely, then install the updated version from the the Play Store.
Never try to remove something that you don't know what it is !
For the Launcher or keyboard. You can remove them only if you installed a new one on the System partition and tested it successfully !
-----
I want to thanks every peoples at http://forum.china-iphone.ru and Yekdall for being one of the first to type something in English about spreadtrum firmware modding !

Data missing?
First of all, thanks a lot for tutorial! Unluckily there is missing the data that i should copy back into the tar and then the img-file. Could you upload the btdbus.tar and the root.tar?
Thanks again, have a nice day!

keulepeter said:
First of all, thanks a lot for tutorial! Unluckily there is missing the data that i should copy back into the tar and then the img-file. Could you upload the btdbus.tar and the root.tar?
Thanks again, have a nice day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm uploading them right now ^^
By the way, what phone are you rooting ? I will try to make a "compatibility list", so I need the model number, and the brand name if any.
Good luck !
EDIT: I added the missing links

Are the sc8810 and sp8810 the same processors?

lynnox said:
Are the sc8810 and sp8810 the same processors?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes exactly the same, just a different way to name it.

ElectronikHeart said:
3 recovery images are available for Spreadtrum device to my knowledge:
1 http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?u6uyignmdcpillt
2 http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?bosnfcq9n65mtc5
3 http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xem49dy5dh99ml0
Try them all, if none are working, we will have to do that the other way ...
Download this patch: """"""Link missing as of now, I have to upload it"""""""
Put it on the root of your SD Card.
Now you will have to boot on CWM, he is on the same key combination than the old useless recovery was.
choose apply a update.zip
Choose the file you have put on your sd card before
Apply it then reboot.
This update.zip have pushed everything needed to root your phone in the right place, you should be rooted now !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
patch pls. (update.zip)
I'll try to load CWM even though at the moment I can only get into recovery. I have the exact same model as H_Bler's which is why I've been focusing more on his thread. From your description on how to access fastboot, I assume that it's the diagnostic mode when UpVol + Pwr is pressed. I never saw anything that said fastboot. The only thing unusual when I was going through the menus was I always got an error when I try the 4th or 5th option. Unfortunately, I can't really try it again because I can't access it anymore. That goes without saying the I can't work with IMG files as well.
5 - Spreadtrum ResearchDownload tool to the rescue !
Now we are in deep **** ! This is not tested as of now ... So come help me ! You will need to drink a lot of coffee, then you will probably pull your hair off, but we will know if it's possible to root every single Spreadtrum devices !
5.1 - Using ResearchDownload to load CWM (Clockwork Mod)
5.2 - Using ResearchDownload to load a modified system partition image
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something to look forward too.
I want to thanks every peoples at http://forum.china-iphone.ru and Yekdall for being one of the first to type something in English about spreadtrum firmware modding !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've also been going here. I even tried 3 of the ROMs but I always get the verification failed message. I know it might be too much, but exact links for the thread would really be much appreciated (to be honest, I can't even remember exactly where I got the ROMs. All I remember is that the thread had a lot of collapsible trees.
ElectronikHeart said:
I'm uploading them right now ^^
By the way, what phone are you rooting ? I will try to make a "compatibility list", so I need the model number, and the brand name if any.
Good luck !
EDIT: I added the missing links
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If and when I get my phone fixed/replaced. I'll try your method first. =P

jvrey5 said:
[Lot of things ...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the thing you have when you push up and power is the system test menu. It's located on the android system partition. It's not fastboot.
Fastboot should be something that says "Fastboot" in red letter, or something else unusual.
If you have not fastboot you should use Spreadtrum Researchdownload to flash your phone, I will write the tutorial about it soon.
I really can't link you the thread on the russian forum, first because it will probably confuse you, and also because it's spread everywhere on so many threads it's unbelievable ... That's why I'm doing this centralization work for you ^^
I will post a list of ROMS for recovery purpose. Your phone seem to be bricked. I don't know how you've done it (I really want to know what you phone is and how you've bricked it, that will help me to write the warnings necessary to avoid such cases).
I have 14 roms for Spreadtrum devices, maybe one will work for your phone.
I just want to know what your phone is ^^ Please tell the name of your phone on your posts everyone and if you know how to find it, the exact name of your firmware.
PS: I will upload the patch soon, I'm just searching for a file hosting service that will keep it up and not erasing it 2 hours after I uploaded it ^^
EDIT: Link to the update.zip for rooting you device via CWM added.

Tutorial updated: Spreadtrum debug tools method added.
It may now be possible to root even Spreadtrum devices without Fastboot mode available.
Please feel free to tell me if it works !

ElectronikHeart said:
Tutorial updated: Spreadtrum debug tools method added.
It may now be possible to root even Spreadtrum devices without Fastboot mode available.
Please feel free to tell me if it works !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
need help

Question
Dear Spreadtrum Master!
Please, can you help me with this problem:
I have a Star I8160 phone with Spreadtrum 6820 and 256 MB ROM. It seems, that everything is working fine, the ROM and the phone is fast, and cool. But when i try to use the phone as a phone, i talk to the phone, and the others just only hearing pieces of my sentences. Sometimes the phone is very-very silent, i need to shout for the others to hear. I thought, that this is a microphone problem, so i replaced the microphone. But nothing changed. I had 2 phones from this type, and both produces the same fault, so i think maybe the problem will be with the ROM. What do you think, is it possible? If so, can i replace my normal rom, which is DM_BASE_12A_w12.43 (sc6820_modem) 11-02-2012?

question
Hi ElectronikHeart, i need help
I have a feiteng a7100, and i flash a rom with ResearchDownload.exe, in the flash operations tab i choose the option to erase all flash. Now i have a brick phone. Do you have a copy of nv.bin? Do you know how to recover from it? how can i reflash nand?
thanks

gtxphoenix said:
Dear Spreadtrum Master!
But when i try to use the phone as a phone, i talk to the phone, and the others just only hearing pieces of my sentences. Sometimes the phone is very-very silent, i need to shout for the others to hear. I thought, that this is a microphone problem, so i replaced the microphone. But nothing changed. I had 2 phones from this type, and both produces the same fault,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Master hasn't been in the past few days so I'll try to answer your issue as best I can.
Usually, the phones are designed for a specific region/country. It's possible that your ROM was built for a different one. How sure are you that the ROM which you are replacing it with will work for you? (I assume that you have a backup and you know how to load ROMs) Also, you might want to try editing the build.prop it increase/maximize reception.
To be honest, this is actually a complicated approach. From what you said, it seems that you've made other troubleshooting steps on your own. Since you really did not mention all of them I'm basing my response on what you said.
Let's try to stick to the basics first. Why did you replace the microphone in the first place? If the same issue happens with 2 other phones from this type, I don't think the mic is the problem. Also, does this mean that you can hear them fine, but they have a hard time hearing you? Have you tried using the stock sound recorder on your phone? Is it also choppy? Have you tried using Skype? You don't really have to call anyone, you just need to make a test call.
When using the device as a phone (eg. making calls, sending SMS, MMS, or connecting to the internet using EDGE or 3G), you're actually relying mostly on your carrier/service provider. How many signal bars do you get? The easiest way to test signal related issues would be by using a different SIM or using a different phone. (When you try a different phone, I suggest using a GSM one - the ones that can only make calls or do SMS.) It's highly possible that there's already something wrong with your SIM.
---------- Post added at 01:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 AM ----------
jmss said:
Hi ElectronikHeart, i need help
I have a feiteng a7100, and i flash a rom with ResearchDownload.exe, in the flash operations tab i choose the option to erase all flash. Now i have a brick phone. Do you have a copy of nv.bin? Do you know how to recover from it? how can i reflash nand?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ElectronikHeart hasn't checked in the past few days, so I hope you don't mind me butting in.
When you say brick, does it mean that you don't even have recovery mode? If you don't, try to see if you can put CWM. Once successful, you can try to use the A7100 ROM if your original one was a mt6515_c910_ht_en_4.0_v01 rom using the update.zip

jvrey5 said:
The Master hasn't been in the past few days so I'll try to answer your issue as best I can.
Usually, the phones are designed for a specific region/country. It's possible that your ROM was built for a different one. How sure are you that the ROM which you are replacing it with will work for you? (I assume that you have a backup and you know how to load ROMs) Also, you might want to try editing the build.prop it increase/maximize reception.
To be honest, this is actually a complicated approach. From what you said, it seems that you've made other troubleshooting steps on your own. Since you really did not mention all of them I'm basing my response on what you said.
Let's try to stick to the basics first. Why did you replace the microphone in the first place? If the same issue happens with 2 other phones from this type, I don't think the mic is the problem. Also, does this mean that you can hear them fine, but they have a hard time hearing you? Have you tried using the stock sound recorder on your phone? Is it also choppy? Have you tried using Skype? You don't really have to call anyone, you just need to make a test call.
When using the device as a phone (eg. making calls, sending SMS, MMS, or connecting to the internet using EDGE or 3G), you're actually relying mostly on your carrier/service provider. How many signal bars do you get? The easiest way to test signal related issues would be by using a different SIM or using a different phone. (When you try a different phone, I suggest using a GSM one - the ones that can only make calls or do SMS.) It's highly possible that there's already something wrong with your SIM.
---------- Post added at 01:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 AM ----------
ElectronikHeart hasn't checked in the past few days, so I hope you don't mind me butting in.
When you say brick, does it mean that you don't even have recovery mode? If you don't, try to see if you can put CWM. Once successful, you can try to use the A7100 ROM if your original one was a mt6515_c910_ht_en_4.0_v01 rom using the update.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont have recovery mode, the phone doesnt turn on. I already try to put CWN but it doesnt work. I need nv.bin file for sc6820a for rewrite nand flash.

jmss said:
I dont have recovery mode, the phone doesnt turn on. I already try to put CWN but it doesnt work. I need nv.bin file for sc6820a for rewrite nand flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now we really need the Master

gtxphoenix said:
Dear Spreadtrum Master!
Please, can you help me with this problem:
I have a Star I8160 phone with Spreadtrum 6820 and 256 MB ROM. It seems, that everything is working fine, the ROM and the phone is fast, and cool. But when i try to use the phone as a phone, i talk to the phone, and the others just only hearing pieces of my sentences. Sometimes the phone is very-very silent, i need to shout for the others to hear. I thought, that this is a microphone problem, so i replaced the microphone. But nothing changed. I had 2 phones from this type, and both produces the same fault, so i think maybe the problem will be with the ROM. What do you think, is it possible? If so, can i replace my normal rom, which is DM_BASE_12A_w12.43 (sc6820_modem) 11-02-2012?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I had the same problem with one of mine. You just have to use a diagnostic tool from Spreadtrum and adjust the microphone amplification level. I will start a thread on that subject and link it there.
It seems to be a very common problem with Spreadtrum phones, but it is, most of the time, very easy to fix.
edit: here is the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=38731407
WARNING: Don't ever flash if you don't have a working copy of the original firmware somewhere (a complete backup that you have tested your ability to flash back) The first step to do a complete backup, if the manufacturer don't want to send you the firmware, is to successfully root your firmware)
Don't flash if you have a microphone problem, nothing good will happen, this problem is not firmware related AT ALL.

jmss said:
Hi ElectronikHeart, i need help
I have a feiteng a7100, and i flash a rom with ResearchDownload.exe, in the flash operations tab i choose the option to erase all flash. Now i have a brick phone. Do you have a copy of nv.bin? Do you know how to recover from it? how can i reflash nand?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh god ! Why have you checked that option ^^
I may be able to dump my nv.bin file from the a7100 I just bought. (If I recall correctly, the nv.bin contain the imei so I will have to edit it to use your imei instead, imei are written in the battery compartment)
Can you try flashing it a second time entirely, It's possible that your uboot partition (what manage the early time boot operations), is not flashed properly.
Even without the nv partition you phone should be able to boot android, you will just not be able to use the phone as a phone. (make a call and everything)
Try with a better micro usb cable, Chinese ones can be very cheap and corrupt data on the way to the phone.
If your phone is still able to flash using ReasearchDownload that is.

Re: 4.5 - Do a full nand backup and help me make you a new CWM recovery
ElectronikHeart said:
4.5 - Do a full nand backup and help me make you a new CWM recovery
Please if you have rooted your phone using this method, and can't use the CWM method, that mean I can do a CWM that work on your device !
Now that you are rooted, you can make a full backup of your phone with ADB !
#open adb shell:
Code:
adb shell
Code:
I still have to explain this if someone needs it
Then send me you boot.img file and I will send you a recovery.img that you can flash to your recovery partition.
That will help new users to root a lot faster the same phone as you, and will make your life easier is you have to restore a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
>>>
I have also the same kind of chinese android phone, having a model # S930 with the same cpu chipset SP8810 (aka. samsung galaxy s3 clone), i've successfully rooted my chinese android phone, and installed some very usable apps like link2sd & titanium backup pro, i want also to have a full backup of my phone using your methods & ideas, can you help me? where can i find my boot.img so that you can make me my recovery image for my phone? my phone don't have any compatible clockworkmod recovery, but it have a native recovery mode option which work on an update.zip or fastboot....i hope you can help me make my phone recovery image with a rooted features... Thanks!

earl22online said:
where can i find my boot.img so that you can make me my recovery image for my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, you already have tested every recovery already posted ?
To make a backup of your boot.img, you will have to do a full backup manually using the Android shell. I will make a tutorial about this, and link it here.
It's pretty easy as you already rooted your phone.
When you have your backup I will, post a recovery.img file suitable to your phone.
Please keep an eye to this post. I will post the tutorial very soon.

ElectronikHeart said:
Oh god ! Why have you checked that option ^^
I may be able to dump my nv.bin file from the a7100 I just bought. (If I recall correctly, the nv.bin contain the imei so I will have to edit it to use your imei instead, imei are written in the battery compartment)
Can you try flashing it a second time entirely, It's possible that your uboot partition (what manage the early time boot operations), is not flashed properly.
Even without the nv partition you phone should be able to boot android, you will just not be able to use the phone as a phone. (make a call and everything)
Try with a better micro usb cable, Chinese ones can be very cheap and corrupt data on the way to the phone.
If your phone is still able to flash using ReasearchDownload that is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already try with tree micro usb cables. when i try to flash with researchDownload it failed at nvitem (after FDL2).
can you post a link to your nv.bin to test it ?

jmss said:
I already try with tree micro usb cables. when i try to flash with researchDownload it failed at nvitem (after FDL2).
can you post a link to your nv.bin to test it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought my A7100, so you will need to wait 2 weeks for me to dump it. Maybe you should try asking to the guy who have made the rooted rom for the A7100 ?
I will, none the less, make a full backup of my phone as soon as I receive it.

[Q] FP1 - 1.6 unified storage upgrade: Problems

hi!
i installed the regulat 1.6 update to my FP1 and everything was just fine.
then I tried to install the "unified 1.6 update" which worked but the problems begun:
things I noticed:
1. backup ist not really a backup for the apps but just a way to reinstall the apps I had installed without any settings. not a fun way to find that out when reopening your apps.
2. the update to the 1.6 unifyed also messed with my SD card and deleted files and put new ones there. not something I was expecting. luckily I had a backup of the SD card.
the thing I am looking for a solution:
after merging the partitions I cannot acces the phone storage on my PC (mac osx 10.9.4). not directly as a drive. the android fil transfer tool works, but it does not have all abilities finder/explorere provides. how do I get acces to the phone storage again?
As all my settings are gone anyway I am open to reinstall the phone from scratch.

fivel_ said:
the thing I am looking for a solution:
after merging the partitions I cannot acces the phone storage on my PC (mac osx 10.9.4). not directly as a drive. the android fil transfer tool works, but it does not have all abilities finder/explorere provides. how do I get acces to the phone storage again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because of the partition layout it no longer is possible to expose the internal storage as mass storage device. Adb will work but the preferred way of transferring files is using the MTP protocol.
I am not a mac user but I think you need to install some additional software.
https://www.android.com/filetransfer/

_keesj said:
Because of the partition layout it no longer is possible to expose the internal storage as mass storage device. Adb will work but the preferred way of transferring files is using the MTP protocol.
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Click to collapse
thanks a lot, that is what I feared.

hi, i'm also have an upgrade problem: mine is that i can't upgrade at all.
i've repartitioned earlier with the app mentioned in the wiki (wiki/Fairphone_Fairphone/Guides#How_to_partition_your_Fairphone).
i've also done the steps _keesj descripes in thread "unified storage setup on re-partitioned FP1" ("Steps for "fiixing" your upgrade").
i'm having Cherry 1.6, and two 7 GB partitions.
does anyone has a solution?

see other (missplaced) post
This post might be of help:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fairphone/general/unified-storage-setup-partitioned-fp1-t2834642

Donat.Callens said:
This post might be of help:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/fairphone/general/unified-storage-setup-partitioned-fp1-t2834642
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Click to collapse
thanks, i've read it again and tried _keesj's solution again, unfortunately it didn't solve my situation.
i'm a layman in this area, so probably i shoudn't haved 'played' with partitions at all (but with the app it was easy).
my previous post wasn't quite complete... i have had an unified partition before...
because of an app that didn't work, i used the repartition app again to see if that could solve the problem.
it did, but later i wondered if a wrong install in the unified sistuation was the problem... so i thought 'let's try the unified partition again'...
i thought i could simply re-use the Fairphone Updater...
so maybe i'm now having a unified partition divided in 2?
and lost the ability to ever upgrade to newer versions of the Fairphone OS?
i hope someone can help me...

jjjanssen said:
i could simply re-use the Fairphone Updater...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you allow it to reinstall the default recovery.

Donat.Callens said:
Make sure you allow it to reinstall the default recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how do I allow it? i didn't get the question you've got ("ROM may flash stock recovery on boot. Fix?").
i downloaded Cherry 1.6 again and chose Install, gave it SU (forever) access, it automatically restarted to the Android with the text “Installing system update…” (no progress bar), and after a few minutes it restarted and nothing is changed. After starting the Fairphone Updater again, it immediately gave the Install option again. Same after selecting the Storage Upgrader.
I also tried restoring from the recovery (default, never replaced), from sd and adb (1.6 does install, 1.3 doesn't, and 1.6 partition upgrader doesn't either, gets aborted)…

Hi,
jjjanssen said:
how do I allow it? i didn't get the question you've got ("ROM may flash stock recovery on boot. Fix?").
i downloaded Cherry 1.6 again and chose Install, gave it SU (forever) access, it automatically restarted to the Android with the text “Installing system update…” (no progress bar), and after a few minutes it restarted and nothing is changed. After starting the Fairphone Updater again, it immediately gave the Install option again. Same after selecting the Storage Upgrader.
I also tried restoring from the recovery (default, never replaced), from sd and adb (1.6 does install, 1.3 doesn't, and 1.6 partition upgrader doesn't either, gets aborted)…
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Non unified images have a different signature. The moment you use the partition upgrader it will change the accepted signature and will no longer allow older images. If all is as I expected your running image is still the parition upgrader image and it contains the tools to perform the last step of the re-partitioning (e.g. calling the script and performing a recovery with format).
If you want to know what is going wrong with the zip install check the /cache/recovery direcotry. it will contain logs of the failing install.
As for a solutions I think you either need to run the script or flash your device using a 1.6 FUSE image.

_keesj said:
If you want to know what is going wrong with the zip install check the /cache/recovery direcotry. it will contain logs of the failing install.
As for a solutions I think you either need to run the script or flash your device using a 1.6 FUSE image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't find any (log) files in /cache/recovery, but...
flashing the EBR1 from the FUSE binaries (FP1U) to my FP1 solved it! :victory:
thanks to _keesj, Rick (from Fairphone) and Christian (Fairphone forum)!
here is Rick's tutorial (with a few notes of my own):
You can only fix this by flashing your phone:
For GURU's only! (flashing with ADB). The alternative is to use the windows flasher tool.
1) Download the original image binaries from Fairphone's site (as a new user I, jjjanssen, can't post links yet).
(Download FP1U's zip: Fairphone_Cherry_1.6_FUSE_Image_2014-07-31.zip)
2) unzip the file
(I chose to unzip to location D:/FP1U.
after that i moved all content from the directory which contained EBR1, to D:/FP1U.)
3) enable usb debugging (on your phone: Settings, Developer options, turn USB debugging on)
4) push EBR1 on the phone: (Open (if you're using Windows) the Command Prompt)
adb push FP1U/EBR1 /mnt/sdcard/
(For instructions on how to use ADB search this site)
5) become root:
adb shell
(after that I also became super user (command su), but maybe that's not necessary; Rick didn't mention it. )
6) override the partition inforation:
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/EBR1 of=/dev/ebr1
7) reboot into recovery:
reboot recovery
8) choose to wipe data and cache
(after that, choose reboot)
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Click to collapse