Develop Bugs

[Q] Who provides a professional service to upgrade my Kaiser

Hey all,
I own an unlocked ATT Tilt 1 (Kaiser 8925). It is currently running windows mobile which is extremely slow. I have read all over the internet that you can put the Android 2.2 OS on this phone and have seen youtube videos on this topic also.
Ideally I need to be able to buy apps from the android marketplace.
Since I'm not a phone hacker I'd like to find a professional cel phone service company that can do this for me.
I searched extensively on Google and can't seem to find one. So who can do this and what is the normal charge for something like this.
Just trying make my old phone useful in wifi mode.
Any advice would be great.
Regards Henry

I don't think there is a company that provides such a service especially if we take in to account that kaiser/tilt is a 3 year old device and the android port is not official. There are plenty of topics in the forum describing how to replace winmo with Android. You don't have to be a hacker to run Android on your phone. Just read the stickies and you wil be able to flash ityourself in no time

There are phone dealers out there (in the USA anyway), that will do this for a fee on the Kaiser, but trust me, with what has gone into the development of this, almost anyone can do it. Save yourself the money and try it yourself. The worst I've heard about is a mis-flashed phone needing some master reset.

The question is who?
I live here in the Orlando area and have called a number of cel phone companies.
I was treated like King Gidorah Three Headed Space Monster. They didn't have a clue this could be done.

Henrykjr said:
I live here in the Orlando area and have called a number of cel phone companies.
I was treated like King Gidorah Three Headed Space Monster. They didn't have a clue this could be done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Listen HenrykJR there are about dozens of android builds on this forum + many different versions of two kernels, not all of those will work correctly for you. You might experience different issues with one setup but the other will work correctly for you. So even if there was a company that could flash it for you, you might end up with an unstable device. Also how could a company gain knowledge on flashing android builds to a phone that was originally shipped with windows mobile??? You seem to be looking for Nessy....in woods.
Your best bet now is to find someone in the forums to help you flash your device....maybe even use skype to show you how to do it. It really isn't that hard.

Hehe, i don´t think you´ll find a Company that will do it for you. Maybe you find some guys that do it for Money (me to ). But if you spend a little time with reading through this forum you could do it yourself and save the money.
Preparing:
1.) You need a SD card (mandatory for android on Kaiser). And you need a Google Mail Account for syncing your contacts etc. and access the android market.
2.) You have to "unlock" your Phone (with HSPL/HardSPL). Only after that you are able to flash things (Cusom WinMo ROMs, Radio, Android) to your Kaiser. So read through this guide and follow step 1-4.
3.) Now you have an unlocked phone an you should be able to flash everything. And the first thing you flash should be the latest "radio". The "radio" for Kaiser is similar to the BIOS for your PC. Like the subsystem and responsible for GSM chipset etc... So look & read in this Radio-Thread, download the latest Radio (it is 1.71.09.01) an follow the guide "Flashing Radio from microSD"
4.) Now your Phone is up-to-date and ready for flashing Android (or WinMo custom roms). YOU NEVER HAVE TO DO THE STEPS 1-3 AGAIN! Your Phone is now completely prepared!
Flashing Android:
For Android on Kaiser you always need 2 Parts. The Kernel (this part initialize the hardware so its similar to "driver" on PC) and the Built (the Android OS itself). But Both should work together so you´ll may find in some kernel suggestions in Built-threads because not ever kernel work with every built. For your beginning i whould suggest you some things:
First the kernel:
DZO is the most popular (the father of android on Kaiser) Kernel-Developer for Kaiser. So go to his repository and download "voguimg-240x320-2.6.32-froyo-09-10-10_23.nbh". Because Vouge and kaiser have almost the same hardware we all could use this kernel. But everyone have to modify this kernel to make phone related optimizations. You can do thy by hand (not recommended for you) or with a tool called "Atools". This tool is writthen in "Python" so mac and linux user could use it too. But you need to install Python. But that is all described in the Atools thread. Read through it and follow the guide.
Modifing Kernel:
We will only modify the madatory things. Not more at the moment...
So run Atools, klick on the "folder" Button and load the "voguimg-240x320-2.6.32-froyo-09-10-10_23.nbh".
Device: "Kaiser" should be checked
Resolution: 240x320 should be checked (native resolution of Kaiser display). Everything else will give blurry optic.
Version: "Froyo" should be checked, because we will flash a Froyo built (thats android 2.2). If you want to flash an older built like a Donut one (1.6) you have to modify & flash your kernel again.
Panel Type: Try "auto" or "1" first. But if you have a fuzzy screen or artifacts you have to try out which paneltype fits best for your device. HTC has built in 3 different displays in the Kaiser and the only way to find out which one is builtin is trial & error.
Keymap: Depends on which hardware keyboard layout you have. Here in Germeny i have to use "qwertz".
We leave the other options as they are an klick on the "Disk" button to save our modificated kernel now. it save it as "KAISIMG.nbh".
Now we need the Built:
I suggest "Fat Free Froyo" at the moment. Fast, stable, an looks good. So go to this thread and download "ODEX DOWNLOAD RLS5 ALL LANG-ODEX" on the bottom of the post.
then unzip/unrar this file...
Flashing your first Android:
1.) You should have a fat32 formatted SD card
2.) put the Kernel (the modified KAISIMG.nbh) to the root of SD card
3.) Create a folder named "andboot" on SD card
4.) Put the unzipped file (androidinstall.tar or .tgz) in the folder "andboot"
5.) Remove SIMcard and any cables from phone and put the SD card in your phone. Battery should be 50% carged or more...
6.) go to bootloader-mode (press and hold camera button and powerbutton). the KAISIMG should be loaded and it will show you "press powerbutton to update" or something similar. Do that... Now a progressbar will appear. When it is at 100% wait a few seconds an then pull the battery. Wait 10 seconds an insert it again. Voila! You flashed your first android kernel!
7.) Now we have to install android itself. So Power on the phone. In the moment when you see small white text on black background you have to press and hold the d-pad button. This one in the middle. Now you get in the install menu.
8.) Leave the options "System on nand" and "DATA on nand" as it is. Navigate to "install system" an press dpad. It ask "format system" and "format data". Both "YES". after this procedure you enter the menu again. navigate to "quit".
9.) Yeah! The first Bootup of Android! The first bootup takes longer as the following ones because now the system prepares for bootup and do a lot of optimisations. Even if you enter the lockscreen you should give it 10 minutes time to finish this optimization process in backround.
10.) Finish! You have flashed your first android completely! Now you can play around and make your settings. Remember: You have to sign in to your google account befor you can access the market or syncronize your contacts etc.!
Sounds more complicated as it is. Try it!
And if you´ll dig in deeper in this stuff you have to read here! Especially the Stickies/Refs/Tutorials! We´ve all done that!
have fun!

Henrykjr said:
Hey all,
I own an unlocked ATT Tilt 1 (Kaiser 8925). It is currently running windows mobile which is extremely slow. I have read all over the internet that you can put the Android 2.2 OS on this phone and have seen youtube videos on this topic also.
Ideally I need to be able to buy apps from the android marketplace.
Since I'm not a phone hacker I'd like to find a professional cel phone service company that can do this for me.
I searched extensively on Google and can't seem to find one. So who can do this and what is the normal charge for something like this.
Just trying make my old phone useful in wifi mode.
Any advice would be great.
Regards Henry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brother, You can do it yourself, I can assure you. Regarding any ambiguity, you can contact me through PM. (I can guide you complete on voice over skype / msn). Its a TIDEOUS job but EASY to do since there is no MEANS OF BRICKING your kaiser (unless you flash something else than what u have do to install android).
I am here to help you in this community. And you can do this thing yourself.
Your device is At&t Tilt. The bad thing about installing android is getting a RIGHT kernel that suits your LCD type and enables wifi in the android build u install. (maybe in 1st try, maybe takes almost 10 tries like it happened for me)

[Q] AT&T tilt problem - gets stuck 2 to 3 times a day

Hi all,
My phone is AT&T tilt.
Kernel : 2.6.25-dirty modified using Atools - Panel 2 type
Android 2.2.1 - Not So Super Froyo RLS 18 updated with latest androidupdate using the kernel menu to update.
all installed on NAND , using p2 for system and p3 for data and auto for swap
My problem and it seems that i am the only one or at least no one has reported it, is that the phone gets stuck 2 or 3 times a day with the backlight dimmed and the screen pixeled with grey and black random pixels.
If anyone tries to call me when this happened, my phone doesn't do anything and they have a normal ringing as if i am not answering. when i restart the phone there would be no log of what happens during the stuck phase. Sometimes it also gets stuck during the restart and i have to clear the Dalvik Cache, and all info , contacts gmail account . everything is gone and i have to resync.
Any help or pointing me to what i am doing wrong is highly appreciated.
Thanks to all in advance

Are you familiar with the Fn + Left Soft Key, wait 5 seconds, then Fn + Rt Soft Key?
Sounds like it's just stuck in VSync, which because the phone is not top of line, Android refreshes the screen faster than the phone can react, so there's a delay script in place that helps fix this, but this stuff still happens due to limited hardware.
Whenever you get the pixel snow, try that combination above too see if that helps. If not the only other thing that can be happening is data corruption, which has been around since Day 1. Try installing system on NAND and data on your SD Card and that should help with your data corruption issues as well.

Also, if you are installed completely on NAND, you could do backups of your /data partition on a daily basis (takes about 1 minute on replimenu). I do mine daily even though I have a fairly stable install. I have been having issues with the ribbon cable lately and the phone will lock in sleep mode and run the battery down a bit. Not sure if this is software or hardware related.
IMHO, if you download anything from the market, back up your /data partition as soon as you can to save all your info and newley downloaded apps or games.

Krazy-Killa said:
Are you familiar with the Fn + Left Soft Key, wait 5 seconds, then Fn + Rt Soft Key?
Sounds like it's just stuck in VSync, which because the phone is not top of line, Android refreshes the screen faster than the phone can react, so there's a delay script in place that helps fix this, but this stuff still happens due to limited hardware.
Whenever you get the pixel snow, try that combination above too see if that helps. If not the only other thing that can be happening is data corruption, which has been around since Day 1. Try installing system on NAND and data on your SD Card and that should help with your data corruption issues as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks a lot , no i am not familiar with this option and i will give it a try as soon as it happens , i also should try the data on SD .

PoXFreak said:
Also, if you are installed completely on NAND, you could do backups of your /data partition on a daily basis (takes about 1 minute on replimenu). I do mine daily even though I have a fairly stable install. I have been having issues with the ribbon cable lately and the phone will lock in sleep mode and run the battery down a bit. Not sure if this is software or hardware related.
IMHO, if you download anything from the market, back up your /data partition as soon as you can to save all your info and newley downloaded apps or games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried the backup using the replimenu , but it is not working properly . it a long time , after that i restart the phone and the backup file size would be 0 KB.
that was on the old build that i used , i will try it with this build , thanks a lot

[Q] Tried to update, now unuseable

So I have upgraded my i927 captivate glide using the ROM from , but I only Androidupdate com called I927UCLH2_I927ATTLH2_I927UCLH2_Home tar md5 but I get a black screen with a slide down menu saying the date ‘Ongoing’ and an option to change the way that the device connects to another computer.
The update stated pass, it booted and proceeded to tell me that it was updating apps or something like that, then a black screen with the pull down menu from the top of the screen near the usb symbol came up but nothing else. I got a message a few hours later stating that the update application or something like that was not responding and an option to wait or quit. I chose wait, but nothing came of it eventually.
I then proceeded to try reflashing the process with no success even after factory reset and rebooting.
I then tried the pre-release ICS update as per XDA developers and other websites. Same thing
I tried a few other ODIN programs and ROMs but no success. Same issues including the hang up on the Samsung logo. I tried rooting it once and for some reason it started up into what looked like the same pull down menu, but it was requesting that I needed an to input a lock code for the network. I assume that is because my sim card was in it by now, but maybe not. I got so frustrated that I tried the bootloader and update bootloader options using the official ICS update ROM for some stupid reason but nothing. The thing is that at least it booted into the pull down menu that i got with a black screen again.
I then flashed with an updated ICS, CWM6 but cannot do the:
Third: Reboot into CWM6 (Volume- and power) install from sdcard (superuser)
Link to superuser: Superuser-3.2-RC2-arm-signed zip
Forth: Repeat third step above but install keyboard fix.
Link to keyboard fix: CWM_keyboard_backlight_fix zip
since I do not have an SD card that is working. I did get the SD Card in the device but I have always had problems with the format of it and I cannot put the zips onto the card due to the computer Win7 not recognizing it. I tried reformatting the device is HPUSB format program and windows. I inserted the card into the device to hopefully have it recognized on windows, and i gave me an option to format the SD card. So I proceeded and success. I was able to put the Zips onto the card. However, I returned to the CWM6 screen by pressing the VOL- and power keys but the files were no where to be found on the SD Card.
I moved on after a few other tries at it, so I tried to go backwards to the Gingerbread ROM. No success, same hanging issue at the Samsung logo.
I then tried to reflash with the devices original ROM as provided by DroidAngel on androidupdate com. Both without success.
I wanted to try the process involved on the 'stuck on boot screen' thread, but I cannot access the zip files on the sdcard in order to be able to do that.
I also bought my phone unlocked from the US (ATT version) and had it sent to me in Canada unlocked so I cannot just return it to the seller to get a new one, so my new phone is pretty useless.
I have spent two days reading through and trying different fixes and updated ROMs on multiple sites but I just cannot figure out what the heck to do now. I know that this site is not to spoon feed people and I am a noob to all of this but I am out of ideas and cannot find anything else to help out.
Where do I go from here. Is there a possibility of reformatting EVERYTHING on the device including all partitions etc etc.? I mean the hardware is fine, it is just a software issue. I do this to my laptop whenever I get into a bind.

Have you tried booting into CWM and restoring factory?
sent from my captivate glide running ICS (NardROM 0.3 Rooted)

Just a note, the SD card you're seeing in CWMR isn't actually your physical SD card, its the internal phone memory. I don't think we have a version of CWMR that reads the real external SD unless modified. So anything you put on it won't show up there. The folder structure will look like ... /sdcard/external_sd/ where /sdcard/ is where you want to put your files for CMWR to see, /external_sd/ is your physical card you can take in/out.

I have tried to reflash with CWM6 using ODIN v3. I didn't realize that the SD card that came up was actually a part of the internal memory. Thanks to you both for the help.
Any other suggestions since no matter what I do now the phone simply stops at the Samsung logo and wont turn off? I press the power button for the required time to shut it down but it automatically restarts by itself to again sit at the Samsung logo.

EaglesIII said:
I have tried to reflash with CWM6 using ODIN v3. I didn't realize that the SD card that came up was actually a part of the internal memory. Thanks to you both for the help.
Any other suggestions since no matter what I do now the phone simply stops at the Samsung logo and wont turn off? I press the power button for the required time to shut it down but it automatically restarts by itself to again sit at the Samsung logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A few questions about your situation right now:
Can you get into Download mode? (Turn off the device, in your case remove the battery. Press power en volume UP)
Can you get into CWM? (Turn off the device, in your case remove the battery. Press power en volume DOWN)
Does it keep asking you for the Network Key? Are you stuck at that particular point...?

Evil Alex said:
A few questions about your situation right now:
Can you get into Download mode? (Turn off the device, in your case remove the battery. Press power en volume UP)
Can you get into CWM? (Turn off the device, in your case remove the battery. Press power en volume DOWN)
Does it keep asking you for the Network Key? Are you stuck at that particular point...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so right now I can still get into the download mode to flash, the CWM6 to factory reset and reboot which I have tried already as stated, and I have not been asked for the network key again since the one time quite a long time ago. The network key is only asked when I load one of the other custom ROMS though, but I have not tried any of those in a while.
I am stuck at the black screen with white Samsung logo.

In CWM6, do you see "mounts and storage" (Second to last option)
If so, connect your phone with the USB cable and select "mounts and storage".
In there and select "mount USB storage" (Again, second to last option, you'll have to scroll to get to it)
Now your PC should see the USB storage which is in fact what is marked as internal SD. So the sdcard CWM can actually see and install things from.
Now you can copy a custom ROM to it, and install it through CWM. Or install anything that is in CWM format.
You may get the Network Key Request as before. I do not know if it can be bypassed by starting it without the SIM. If so, you could then try to unlock your device using one of the methods on the forum.
Alternatively, and highly recommended by yours truly, is to buy the unlock code.
It is somewhat common for these devices to re-lock, so having the code handy is very convenient. I used americanunlocker to get mine, and I put the code on the inside of the back-cover should I find myself re-locked in the middle of nowhere. The code works, and isn't that expensive. In fact, it's a steal if you look at your own time invested in all this in terms of hourly wage! Of course, you'll need the IMEI code. You can find that by removing the back-cover and the battery.
Good luck!

Got it running on Bio360 but 'Not Registered on Network' now
Evil Alex said:
In CWM6, do you see "mounts and storage" (Second to last option)
If so, connect your phone with the USB cable and select "mounts and storage".
In there and select "mount USB storage" (Again, second to last option, you'll have to scroll to get to it)
Now your PC should see the USB storage which is in fact what is marked as internal SD. So the sdcard CWM can actually see and install things from.
Now you can copy a custom ROM to it, and install it through CWM. Or install anything that is in CWM format.
You may get the Network Key Request as before. I do not know if it can be bypassed by starting it without the SIM. If so, you could then try to unlock your device using one of the methods on the forum.
Alternatively, and highly recommended by yours truly, is to buy the unlock code.
It is somewhat common for these devices to re-lock, so having the code handy is very convenient. I used americanunlocker to get mine, and I put the code on the inside of the back-cover should I find myself re-locked in the middle of nowhere. The code works, and isn't that expensive. In fact, it's a steal if you look at your own time invested in all this in terms of hourly wage! Of course, you'll need the IMEI code. You can find that by removing the back-cover and the battery.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the feedback, I actually had not thought about the unlock code idea, and since you put it into such perfect terms considering the time and effort that has to go into something like that, it is a good idea for sure to get one. The idea of keeping it on the inside of the back cover is another awesome idea. Kudos to you and thanks!
As for the rest of what you had stated about the mounting and what not; I actually mounted and successfully reflashed and installed all of the required files for the new ICS stock upgrade. The good news was that I got past the Samsung screen again and it said that it was updating all of the applications or whatever again, but then it just gave me the pull down menu again with very limited functionability.
I then used your suggestion to try out another ROM. I tried the Bio360 and followed all directions on the 'phone stuck on boot screen thread'. It worked! I finally have a functional phone again and will be able to get calls from my boss. Thanks!
Now that I know I have one option, I can explore any other options. I still cannot figure out how it is that I will be able to get the ICS upgrade but maybe I will try Kies.
However, I just found that I don't have network access anymore despite that I have a strong cell signal, so I presume that I will have to enter the unlock code somewhere. Where can I put that into? It didn't pop up to tell me anything.

EaglesIII said:
Thank you so much for the feedback, I actually had not thought about the unlock code idea, and since you put it into such perfect terms considering the time and effort that has to go into something like that, it is a good idea for sure to get one. The idea of keeping it on the inside of the back cover is another awesome idea. Kudos to you and thanks!
As for the rest of what you had stated about the mounting and what not; I actually mounted and successfully reflashed and installed all of the required files for the new ICS stock upgrade. The good news was that I got past the Samsung screen again and it said that it was updating all of the applications or whatever again, but then it just gave me the pull down menu again with very limited functionability.
I then used your suggestion to try out another ROM. I tried the Bio360 and followed all directions on the 'phone stuck on boot screen thread'. It worked! I finally have a functional phone again and will be able to get calls from my boss. Thanks!
Now that I know I have one option, I can explore any other options. I still cannot figure out how it is that I will be able to get the ICS upgrade but maybe I will try Kies.
However, I just found that I don't have network access anymore despite that I have a strong cell signal, so I presume that I will have to enter the unlock code somewhere. Where can I put that into? It didn't pop up to tell me anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're very welcome! Glad to hear the phone is usable again. In order to get data back you will have to set your APN manually. Stock ROMs come with the APN settings for all providers it is expected to be sold with. But custom ROMs usually come without those settings. You can find the APN settings for your provider online, just do a search. There is even an app for it, but the name eludes me at the moment. You'll need wifi to get the app, though! Once the settings are in place (You put them in under wireless & Networks), you'll have data again.
As for the limited functionality, I had the same thing, at first. The upgrade was broken for me, I guess some settings/apps were causing problems. So, after flashing the upgrade, I did a factory reset in CWM. I also wiped the cache, and the Dalvik cache, for good measure(Under advanced in CWM). It rebooted, said it was upgrading and installing, and I let it sit for a few minutes. Then I was greeted by an initial setup screen, and the phone has been on a working ICS ever since! I did lose all my settings and such, but I had a back-up of those with Titanium Backup, and got those back that way.
Hope this will help as well.

Internal SDcard Busted, Can't Format or Write (Forever Locked as Read-only)

HI,
I used to be more active in this forum, but honestly nowadays I can't found any reason to since everything has been smooth sailing for me without any problems—until this day, at least. Somehow I got my internal sdcard busted, it was pretty spontaneous, all I can recall is suddenly the system starts to reboot itself. Nothing much, I thought to myself, problem is the system keeps rebooting, it doesn't even last a minute. Naturally when faced with this problem one would do the usual procedure, namely completely format the thing to stock the rule out any possibility on the user side of things, but then this is the part when it starts to get interesting...
The thing refused to be formatted, seriously, it baffles me at first but it does
Things I've tried:
Fastboot, it hangs at writing system, whether I was doing it line per line manually or via the flash_all.sh script, I haven't tried the toolkit but I think it's safe to assume that It'll do the same thing. Even if it does go on (which it did, once) it doesn't do any sort of changes whatsoever to the system.
ADB, nope, not this one either. And since the system reboots faster before I can do anything worthwhile it's pretty much out of the question.
Recovery, multiple times I've tried nuking everything via CWM, nada. I've tried TWRP too, I have to boot it from fastboot since it apparently doesn't allow me to flash a new recovery either, it reverts back to CWM every time. Also tried to flash a different ROM (CM), that didn't work, it spits out an error message regarding some failure in changing metadata, thought it was a corrupted file or something, so I re-downloaded it, that doesn't work. Still convinced that it's corrupted I tried 4 different version of it without any luck. Even the one I had successfully flashed before. Interestingly enough, flashing the exact same ROM I'm currently using (ShinyROM) works, not that it seems to do anything.
Built-in data format from settings, now this doesn't work because I assume that it needs the stock recovery to work, which I couldn't flash because it wouldn't let me—in a sense that it flashes just fine on the command line—fastboot doesn't show up any error or anything—but it defaults back to CWM as soon as I reboot it.
Manually via terminal emulator/file manager, still nothing, curiously enough, Terminal Emulator indicates that the whole system is read-only (I tried making a file with it, it shows that exact message).
Grit my teeth, clench my fist and screams out every curse word that I know of, this somewhat reduced my stress levels, but ultimately yields nothing.
Which led to be believe that either my phone was either a) Haunted or b) Has a serious hardware problem, I'm leaning on the latter. A few quick lookup with my limited amount of Google-fu and I've found several threads that described the exact same issue:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...-factory-settings-no-matter-method-i-try.html
http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...eset-nexus-7-2102-using-multiple-methods.html
Both of which hints at it being a hardware problem. Which was my biggest fear since I can't really revert the phone back to stock now can I? Locking the bootloader doesn't seem to work either (the 'fastboot oem lock' command works just fine but just like every single thing I've tried, reverts back to my previous setup as soon as I did a reboot), plus this means I have to send it back with my private data still on it, and I can't say I trust Samsung, Google (or anyone really) with my private data. Not to mention some of the stories I've heard/read about Samsung and their policy regarding rooted devices (much less ones with an unlocked bootloader).
In case it helps, here's a few more details:
What state the device is currently in:
It boots up just fine, but nor for long, apps starts to hang and ends up with a cold reboot (sorry if it's not the right jargon, but it starts right from the Google screen).
Everything that doesn't require you to access the filesystem works fine.
Apps doesn't seem to be able to write anything to the filesystem, I tried backing it up with Titanium Backup, much to my surprise the backup files weren't made (although TiBu seems to indicate that they were).
What the device is running:
Variant: Maguro 16GB
ROM: ShinyROM 4.4.2
Kernel: franco.Kernel r395
Baseband: XXLJ1
Bootloader: PRIMED04
Also I don't know if this will affect things but for the record I'm running the latest Ubuntu and Debian.
So this post is pretty much a shot in the dark, since I think I know what I'm dealing with already; if anyone had this problem before in the past, or has it now and somehow managed to fixed it, please do tell. Or if anyone has any experiences RMA-ing your device with a condition like this I'd love to know.

Yep your EMMC is fried. Sorry man.. But you can go to warranty. They *should* accept it since it is a developers phone but they could make a lot of hassle about it being rooted..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app

[NST/G] Update FW 1.2.2 UK (unofficial)

If anyone has an old UK device at the bottom of a drawer somewhere which they recollect has a non-English language dictionary from B&N on it, please contact me before trying this.
Spoiler: How I did it
While looking at the CWM Region Changer with someone from the UK trying to get their old NST up and running, it occurred to me that we might be able to do better. Several days and a few out-of-order epiphanies later, I had a rough idea of what needed to happen.
The most important discovery was that the "UK ROM" was still there in the US FW 1.2.2 update. That is to say, if you copied over the splash screens from the UK 1.2.1 update and the Oxford dictionary, you had nearly everything that was different between the two. Except it didn't work. It looked different on boot, but was still the US version (you can tell by looking at Settings which are different in the two versions).
Eventually I took at look at the update script in the B&N zip and saw that it was checking build.prop before doing anything else. I compared that file on the UK 1.2.1 and US 1.2.2 zips and found the major difference was in localization. In two entries "GB" was used instead of "US". Was it that simple?
Yes!
Ah...but it refused to register. In fact, it refused to authenticate, so it never got to asking about your account. The final discovery was the result of a completely idle-brained attempt (because I was out of ideas). I had rooted an instance after skipping OOBE. In the launcher app drawer I saw the familiar junk, including DeviceRegistrator (anyone who has rooted an NST knows this app with the smiley-face icon). I've always thought it was just cyber-detritus, an early version or mock-up left by B&N developers. They were not very tidy, after all. But maybe intents of the app are used in the current registration process. Who knows? Anyway, I tapped on the icon and proceeded to successfully authenticate the device. That got my attention! Then I tried to register with my existing B&N account and password. BINGO! I could see my device on the B&N website under my account and I was able to "buy" a free book using the Shop app (you need a credit card on file with B&N to get even a free book).
So it works for me, in the US.
Because of the changes I made to the original US 1.2.2 update zip, the internal signature is broken, so it cannot be used as an auto-update zip. Hence the need for CWM.
To avoid the necessity to root (for those who would rather not), I removed the broken Lancher.apk in /system/app and replaced it with a simple launcher in the Gingerbread style that is able to run as a system app. So when the device gets to displaying "home", it asks how you want to do that. Initially, the Launcher app is selected so that you have access to an app drawer and the DeviceRegistrator app. After registration, a reboot will present the "home" option choice again. This time the "always" box can be ticked and the B&N "Home" app selected. The Launcher.apk will never be heard from again. Those who go on to root can remove it from /system/app if they wish.
Outstanding issue to be explored: dictionaries. There seems to be a capability for adding different language dictionaries. The User Guide refers to this also. I have not been successful in doing this and don't know whether there ever were any other dictionaries. Since this was not a US option, I'm guessing that the only hard-coded URLs for the dictionary downloads are to non-existent UK servers. I still haven't tracked down where those URLs are. The Nook app for Android is reputed to have the same capability, but when I installed it on one of my rooted tablets, it only had an English dictionary. The format of this db file seemed to be exactly the same as the Oxford dictionary on the UK ROM. I got a Spanish book from B&N and tried to look up a word from there. This gives an option to download a dictionary (as the user guide says) but the result just sends you to the Settings where the only dictionary visible is the default English. So maybe you have to be in another country? Anyway, I could not get the NST to recognize the English dictionary offloaded from the Nook app, despite the apparent structure similarity with the Oxford already onboard. Perhaps there is a database somewhere that would keep track of the dictionaries on the device if the download function were still working. I have not found it. Or, perhaps additional "downloaded" dictionaries have a special place to be (Edit: YES! They go into /data/media/B&N Downloads/Dictionary). Someone with a long memory who has experience with the UK ROM but is not primarily an English speaker might hold the key.
Spoiler: Q&A
--Is this the same thing as the Region Changer?
No. The region changer procedure gives you a device running US firmware (although it looks like B&N still knows it's a UK device based on the serial number and their own records--or they might be identifying its point of origin by the internet connection). This update zip will give you a true UK ROM: the different splash screens, the different settings options (including language) and the ability to enter letters with diacritical marks from the keyboard. It also features the Oxford dictionary. However, it will contact US B&N servers, not the non-existent UK ones.
--Do I need to have an existing B&N account?
I think so. The back door we are using to authenticate and register the device does not have an option for creating a new account.
--Should I deregister my device before doing this?
If you did a region change and are currently running registered US FW 1.2.2, I would recommend deregistering the device before converting to the UK ROM, just to avoid potential conflicts. You can use the same account to register the new ROM. If you have B&N content, it might even show up since it's the same account (mine did).
--Can I purchase books from B&N using the Shop app?
Maybe. I was able to "buy" a free book from B&N and have it appear on my device (note: to purchase even a free book you need to have a credit card on file for your B&N account). But, I am in the US. The B&N Terms of Service says that you have to use (or have on file) a credit card with a US address. There appear to be workarounds like purchasing a US-based cash card, etc. Seems like a lot of extra effort, but apparently some people have done it.
--I live in the US but this sounds interesting. Can I try it too?
Well, I did! The ROM is interesting in a number of ways. It really is a Western European variant, not just UK. German, English, French, Italian and Spanish are the available languages. If your primary language is not English but instead one of these, this might be an attraction. However, there is at least one unexpected consequence. Some external servers will be absolutely convinced you are outside the US. I found this out by trial-and-error when I could not get my Today's Comics app to work. When I changed the region to English (US), it began to work, so I guess the content was region-blocked. I jiggered the Settings app of the UK ROM slightly so it would display the English(US) option.
--I see "Chinese" among the languages! Can my NST display Chinese?
Well, no. Unfortunately the only way to get English(US) to display is to display all of the "development" languages. I tried to suppress "Chinese" but had no luck. There are Chinese characters in DroidSansFallback but the strings for the B&N system were never fully translated (maybe not at all). There is a lot that is translated (appears to be Taiwanese Chinese), probably left from the original phone ROM they used to make the NST OS. However, if you select Chinese any apps you may have installed that are correctly localized for Chinese will display appropriately.
How to do it
Note: I did this on a deregistered device. It does not matter whether your device is currently US FW 1.2.2 or a UK FW 1.2.1.
1. Prepare a CWM card (if you don't already have one, use one of the two sdcard versions). If you've never done this sort of thing before it's probably easiest to download the zip for the Nook Region Changer and follow the instructions there for making the sdcard (steps 1-3). You don't need the two update zips that are on the card, but it's still CWM. If you already have a Region Changer card, you can use it as-is.
2. Download a copy of my 1.2.2 UK update zip. Copy the update zip to the CWM card (the card should be in the card-reader slot of your PC, not in the Nook)
3. Power down your Nook.
4. Insert the CWM card into your Nook and power up. You'll see the logo and maybe the opening menu.
CWM is a little wobbly on the NST. Sometimes it seems to get stuck on a white screen after the logo. If that happens to you, press the lower right hardware button. That generally wakes it up.
Navigating in CWM involves using the upper left hardware button (go back to the previous menu), the two right hardware buttons (go up and down a menu) and the "n" button (do what is highlighted).
5. Move down to "backup and restore". Press "n".
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
6. The menu should show "backup" at the top. Press "n". This will backup your current configuration onto the sdcard.
7. At the conclusion of the backup you should be returned to the top of the menu.
8. Move down (or one step "up") to "advanced". Press "n".
9. Move down one step to "wipe dalvik cache". Press "n".
Then move way down (or a little up) to "yes". Press "n".
Here you may run into another CWM issue. At least for me, CWM has a tendency to freeze after any kind of wipe. If that happens to you, don't panic. If the buttons don't seem to be responsive, press and hold the power button. If the device does not reboot back into CWM, release the power button and press and hold again. Eventually the device will reboot, taking you to the top of the menu again.
10. From the top of the menu move down to "wipe data/factory reset". This option is just like the previous one, including the potential freeze. Do it.
11. From the top of the menu, move down to "install zip from sdcard". Press "n".
12. The top of the next menu says "choose zip from sdcard". Press "n".
13. Move to select the nook_1_2_2_UK_update_CWM.zip and press "n", etc.
14. After the update is complete you need to return to the top of the menu where it says "reboot now" (if you are not already there). At that point, remove the CWM card from the device and press "n" to reboot.
15. Your Nook will boot into the UK ROM setup. You'll see the familiar multi-lingual splash screen, the marching dots, and finally come to a Language choice screen.
Select whichever language you prefer. You can change this later from Settings.
16. The next screen is the "Welcome" screen.
You are now going to execute a "skip OOBE". Since registration fails in the usual setup wizard, we will have to go in the back door, so to speak. At the "Welcome" screen, press and hold the upper right hardware button and swipe your finger across the top of the screen from left to right. You should see a "Factory" button appear in the upper left corner of the screen. Tap it.
17. Now you are on the Factory screen.
Again, press and hold the upper right hardware button and tap the screen in the lower right corner. You should see a "Skip OOBE" button appear on the screen. Tap it.
18. OK, so now you are faced with a choice which I have added to the ROM in order to finesse the registration issue without needing to root the device. There should be two options listed on the screen: Home (the B&N home screen) and Launcher (I added this). For now tap on "Home". The B&N home screen loads up with the infinite spinner in the lower half (no registration, no wi-fi, no data).
19. Press the "n" button and select "Settings". Set up a wi-fi connection and set the time zone and time display format. Leave wi-fi on. Use the power button to shut the device off.
20. Power up your Nook. When it has passed the marching dots it will ask you again whether you want "Home" or "Launcher". This time, choose "Launcher".
A simple Android launcher screen is displayed. All you care about is the app drawer, that little square of tiny squares in the center of the bottom of the screen. Tap it.
21. There is a bunch of stuff (mostly junk) in the app drawer. Resist the impulse to fool around there. Keep your eyes on the prize! Locate the DeviceRegistrator app (stupid smiley-face icon). Tap it. Check to be sure your wi-fi is on.
22. You need to do two things here.
First, register (authenticate) the device itself. That's the first button on the left in the first row. Tap that. If all is going well (and your wi-fi is on) you should get a confirmation alert. After that, type in your username (email) and password for your B&N account. There is no option here to create an account, so you need to have one already established for this to work. After you've typed in the information, tap on "Register User". You should get a confirmation alert. You can now turn off wi-fi. Press the "n" button and select "Settings". Check Device Info>About your NOOK. If everything went according to plan you should see that it is registered.
23. Shut down the Nook. Power up one more time. After the marching dots you are again faced with the choice of "Home" or "Launcher". Before you make your selection, tap on the little (empty) checkbox. This will make your next move permanent. Now tap on "Home".
You'll never hear from "Launcher" again. It will just languish in /system/app with all the other unused apps and your Nook is now registered and good to go!
If you want to root and further customize your Nook, select one of the updated NookManager packages. I strongly recommend using NookManager to make a backup of your device before rooting. The CWM backup you made at the beginning of this process is not a complete nandroid backup and you'd be better off with one before you make any more changes. If you are not interested in rooting, you may want to make another backup with the CWM card at this point and then put it away somewhere safe. Just in case.

I've just followed these instructions on my 1.2.0 UK Nook Simple Touch. In the UK, and it works perfectly. Thanks very much!

ashh87 said:
I've just followed these instructions on my 1.2.0 UK Nook Simple Touch. In the UK, and it works perfectly. Thanks very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the feedback. Now we know it was not just a one-time fluke for me. I'm glad it worked for you as well.

Also worked for me. After registering I used NookManager to root it, then installed the latuk kernel from this post with CWM and it's now UK 1.2.2 and external keyboard supporting. That's all I was looking for. Another thumbs up for the repeatability of your method. Thanks for the detailed instructions.
A quick question - in step 23 ("never hear from Launcher again") above, if I accidentally make the wrong one the default, how would I get the launcher selection screen back again on startup?

markeq said:
A quick question - in step 23 ("never hear from Launcher again") above, if I accidentally make the wrong one the default, how would I get the launcher selection screen back again on startup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's say--hypothetically, of course--that you did that. There are two ways around it.
1. If you rooted with the "traditional" or "stealth" versions of NookManager, you have ES File Explorer. You can use it to access the App Manager and remove the defaults from the "Launcher" (or "Home", or whatever). After doing this, a reboot will present you with the choices again. Screenshots for a likely sequence below.
2. A more general quick-and-dirty method that will work in any situation: install yet another launcher app. When you reboot, the activity picker will see a new option and give you your choices again. When you've got it right, just uninstall the additional launcher (which you never have to run for this method to work). Here's a link to another simple and relatively useless launcher that will fit the bill.

nmyshkin said:
Move to select the nook_1_2_2_UK_update_CWM.zip and press "n", etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@nmyshkin have you ever seen an issue where CWM freezes on this step under opening update package... ?
i have left it on this step for 2-3 hours - im guessing it doesnt normally take this long ?
i also had the same problem in the exactt same place when i tried running the nook_1_2_update_US_CWM.zip region changer
any ideas on what i could try different to get working ? otherwise im stuck on a de-registered 1.2.1uk so my only option might be to nuke all b&n and go custom ereader route (which is probably fine tbh)

A couple of minutes is all it should take.
Check out the update using a desktop zip utility.
Does it look normal?

Renate said:
A couple of minutes is all it should take.
Check out the update using a desktop zip utility.
Does it look normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah it looks normal on my computer (im running popos although i cant see how that would change anything)

Well, you can always do it semi-manually, at least you'll get feedback.
Extract META-INF\com\google\android\update-binary
Go to TWRP and use ADB to push both the (original) zip and the (extracted) update-binary somewhere useful.
Use ADB (you do have a rooted prompt?)
Code:
# chmod 755 update-binary
# ./update-binary 2 1 whatever.zip
You'll get text out of this and maybe figure out what the problem is.

cyberboy666 said:
@nmyshkin have you ever seen an issue where CWM freezes on this step under opening update package... ?
i have left it on this step for 2-3 hours - im guessing it doesnt normally take this long ?
i also had the same problem in the exactt same place when i tried running the nook_1_2_update_US_CWM.zip region changer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm...
Well, two things come to mind. First, the zip package is NOT an update. You're just supposed to choose "install zip from sdcard". So if you chose an update zip instead, that could be a problem, although I would expect CWM to say it couldn't find an update zip rather than just hang. At least that's what it has done with me before when I've made the wrong choice.
Second, since you have the same problem with the "region changer" zip, is it possible that your CWM card is bad? You might want to go straight to the source: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...od-based-recovery-fixed-backup-issue.1360994/. Either sdcard version should work fine, depending on the size of your card.
FWIW, these are the MD5 values for the various files in question, just in case you've got a file corruption problem somewhere:
2 gb CWM zip: 61a9cfea527a81e17c9b5bc751af27ce
128 gb CWM zip: 670bccc38737a722eaed75871bb36d35
Unofficial UK 1.2.2 FWzip: fbaaac9957483850cb723d46a518c064
Region changer zip: bca752409c8cc6da43658c7d537dfdf1

nmyshkin said:
Hmm...
Well, two things come to mind. First, the zip package is NOT an update. You're just supposed to choose "install zip from sdcard". So if you chose an update zip instead, that could be a problem, although I would expect CWM to say it couldn't find an update zip rather than just hang. At least that's what it has done with me before when I've made the wrong choice.
Second, since you have the same problem with the "region changer" zip, is it possible that your CWM card is bad? You might want to go straight to the source: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...od-based-recovery-fixed-backup-issue.1360994/. Either sdcard version should work fine, depending on the size of your card.
FWIW, these are the MD5 values for the various files in question, jus tin case you've got a file corruption problem somewhere:
2 gb CWM zip: 61a9cfea527a81e17c9b5bc751af27ce
128 gb CWM zip: 670bccc38737a722eaed75871bb36d35
Unofficial UK 1.2.2 FWzip: fbaaac9957483850cb723d46a518c064
Region changer zip: bca752409c8cc6da43658c7d537dfdf1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
omg thanks ! yes i think issue was with CWM card - i flashed a new one from the link you gave and now it is working
and also thanks for the advice @Renate - i want to get set up/learn to send ADB anyway so this is helpful

Hmm, well, I didn't know that.
OTOH, you would have seen that you couldn't find an update-binary in that zip.

nmyshkin said:
While looking at the CWM Region Changer with someone from the UK trying to get their old NST up and running, it occurred to me that we might be able to do better. Several days and a few out-of-order epiphanies later, I had a rough idea of what needed to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another success, from UK 1.2.1 to your pseudo-UK 1.2.2.
It halted, as in your examples, after both wipes.
Great step-by-step instructions. Spot on. I wouldn't say I'm a complete novice at such things, but it's always great to have such detailed instructions to make sure I don't go and do something daft.
Thanks so much! Do you have any kind of buy-me-a-coffee link?
(Now to work out what my battery issues were, if they come back, 'cos I know from disassembling the hardware and testing the battery that it's not the battery!)

jewelie said:
Another success, from UK 1.2.1 to your pseudo-UK 1.2.2.
It halted, as in your examples, after both wipes.
Great step-by-step instructions. Spot on. I wouldn't say I'm a complete novice at such things, but it's always great to have such detailed instructions to make sure I don't go and do something daft.
Thanks so much! Do you have any kind of buy-me-a-coffee link?
(Now to work out what my battery issues were, if they come back, 'cos I know from disassembling the hardware and testing the battery that it's not the battery!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad it worked for you. That's my reward
Unless your glowlight is not turning off completely, I can't think of any other factor on a stock system that would drain the battery fast, barring some unknown hardware issue.
Hopefully this sorts it out.

On top of the running an unregistered device, I've read that manually tapping the power button to force it to sleep can cause battery issues, which is what I had been doing. Other possibilities that have been suggested to me are corrupt books, and maybe having the WiFi off.
I did notice that the internal disk was seen by windows and Linux as having an fs error, and windows couldn't fix it. That actually persisted following the instructions you gave above, it seems it didn't actually wipe the 240Mb internal disk so some files and settings and of course the corruption remained, which was a surprise, so I an erase and deregister to go properly from scratch. That did clean in!
Device is now on sleep with wifi off and no books after the fresh start. I also hacked the cover I was using to make sure it wasn't touching the screens or buttons. It's at 79% now, let's see what the percentage goes to over the next few days...
EDIT: BTW The reason I know it's not the battery itself is because I disassembled it and tested the battery through a few 0.5A charge & discharge cycles and gave it a week to see if there was any significant self discharge - madly, it still has almost the full 1500mAh capacity - impressive for a device that's been going for 10yrs now!

jewelie said:
I've read that manually tapping the power button to force it to sleep can cause battery issues, which is what I had been doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this has been debunked in the distant past although I can't put my finger on the particular post.
jewelie said:
I did notice that the internal disk was seen by windows and Linux as having an fs error, and windows couldn't fix it. That actually persisted following the instructions you gave above, it seems it didn't actually wipe the 240Mb internal disk so some files and settings and of course the corruption remained, which was a surprise, so I an erase and deregister to go properly from scratch. That did clean in!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That part is interesting and the initial result is not surprising. Unfortunately CWM cannot do a thorough wipe unlike, say, TWRP. A factory re-image is the most thorough cleaning I'm aware of, followed by the deregister/erase, then with CWM bringing up the rear. The reason I didn't include a factory re-image at the beginning of the process is that I wanted to keep it simple and not scare away those averse to anything approaching root. The 8-failed-boot-attempts method for a factory re-image is tremendously tedious and involves close timing and dexterity. OTOH, a NookManager card can initiate the process with the push of one hardware button. But that means making yet another card and flirting with the whole root thing (not necessary to root just to do the factory re-image).
The internal disk error may or may not have something to do with the battery drain. You'll find out. When I was doing a lot of testing with battery life a long time ago I found that a loss of 1% was typical overnight if the device was just sleeping. Of course, that's with whatever I had going on my system at the time.

@nmyshkin Thank you so much for the detailed guide.
I followed all the steps without any issue. I even got the freezing bug after clearing the Dalvik cache. But followed your steps, pressed on the power button twice and it restarted.
I used a 2Gb memory card and used the sd_2gb_clockwork-rc2.zip and I've written the image with WinImage 8.50.

nmyshkin said:
The internal disk error may or may not have something to do with the battery drain. You'll find out. When I was doing a lot of testing with battery life a long time ago I found that a loss of 1% was typical overnight if the device was just sleeping. Of course, that's with whatever I had going on my system at the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm seeing about 3% drop (as seen in settings -> about) every two days, which sounds about in the right ball park?

jewelie said:
I'm seeing about 3% drop (as seen in settings -> about) every two days, which sounds about in the right ball park?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say so, especially if you've been doing any reading at all.

nmyshkin said:
I'd say so, especially if you've been doing any reading at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update: It's over a month later, battery is still on 26%. Touch wood, it's fixed. THANK YOU!