Related
After much debate I have decided to make my work public as a lot of people seem to want these features!
THIS IS AN ALPHA SOFTWARE! EXPECT BUGS!
THEREFORE IF YOU INSTALL, ITS YOUR CHOICE. I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF THINGS GO DOWN THE PAN!
To get this working well, I need you guys! The testers - the community!
TFU ROM UPGRADE PACK ALPHA 3
What is it?
This software pack will supply your STOCK UK nook with software 1.2.0 with the following features:
ROOT
BUSYBOX
ADB
A clean nook friendly interface
A custom kernel (Thanks guevor http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1906507)
Multitouch
Browser, Email, PDF, News Feed, Lots of tools
A custom built video mod to improve multitouch speed, refresh rates, delay and general display performance
MORE (but I cant remember)
Follow this guide to backup your nook and find out everything you need to know about the process. Please do this BEFORE any other tinkering! Make sure you know what you are doing!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1961835
How to Install
Make a CWM SD card:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1360994
Flash my zip:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13673492/TFU_ALPHA3.zip
Reboot:
You now have everything you need to get started!
BUGS:
Cant install apps unless you use ADB or drop them into /data/app and install.
If some of the preinstalled apps don't work follow this procedure:
-Open nook color tools and disable/enable allow non-market apps.
-Use file explorer to browse to /data/app and click on and install the broken app.
If you need help with ADB or want a different way to root check out my other post here!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1961835
If you find a bug let me know please!
RESERVED
Hi Loney,
Installed just now and all seems well so far - well done!
John
I'd like to suggest an addition to the backup method that many folks are using - always test your restore, but dont test it (the first time) on your device.
Your backup file should be about 2 gig.
find a 2 gig or larger flash drive or sdcard and restore your backup image to that drive.
when you're done, there should be 8 partitions, as there were on your Nook to begin with.
If you can't get that working - you're not ready to root yet. Until you're sure you can restore, don't start making changes, please.
People turn up all the time having screwed themselves over by restoring a partial backup and not knowing it, or having restored only one partition from a complete backup and having blown out the partition table.
Out of curiosity is this listed as Glow only just because that was all you had to test it on?
I have the non-glow version so was going to test it, is there any reason why this may be a bad idea or has anyone else tried this yet? Thanks
stelph said:
Out of curiosity is this listed as Glow only just because that was all you had to test it on?
I have the non-glow version so was going to test it, is there any reason why this may be a bad idea or has anyone else tried this yet? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are spot on. I didn't want to cause problems for people. Is your firmware 1.2.0? its firmware differences which are most likely to cause a problem. If you have a good backup, give it a go. If it works great. If not, you could try sending me your framework.jar file and I can try and find out what the differences are. Good luck!
roustabout said:
I'd like to suggest an addition to the backup method that many folks are using - always test your restore, but dont test it (the first time) on your device.
Your backup file should be about 2 gig.
find a 2 gig or larger flash drive or sdcard and restore your backup image to that drive.
when you're done, there should be 8 partitions, as there were on your Nook to begin with.
If you can't get that working - you're not ready to root yet. Until you're sure you can restore, don't start making changes, please.
People turn up all the time having screwed themselves over by restoring a partial backup and not knowing it, or having restored only one partition from a complete backup and having blown out the partition table.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for posting this. Very useful for people who aren't familiar with the nook. I will mention your name and this post when I update my guide with this information.
Also, the US nook touches - both the NST and NSTG - are now going to be running under OS 1.2.0 per BN.
The BN support announcement on this is here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Software-Updates-NOOK-Simple-Touch/379003175
Hopefully, we'll wind up with net fewer folks quasi bricking their devices.
roustabout said:
Also, the US nook touches - both the NST and NSTG - are now going to be running under OS 1.2.0 per BN.
The BN support announcement on this is here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Software-Updates-NOOK-Simple-Touch/379003175
Hopefully, we'll wind up with net fewer folks quasi bricking their devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is great news. Everyone will benefit from some constancy across all devices.
Thanks, yes my nook is 1.2.0 so I've now installed the ROM on my non-glow light and it looks like it works fine! Seems stable and could start using it straight away, the only fault was opera wouldn't load/didint install properly but I followed the guide and re-installed it and it now works
I think the simple layout is really great, although one question, I plan to add the kindle app. Will I be able to add it to the "book" symbol (ie when I press the reading book it'd be nice to get an option of barnes&noble or kindle)? Im sure there is probably a legal reason why it hasnt but i think a kindle app would be good to include as standard, since kindle is one of the most popular ebook services and I bet most people have some books they'd want to access
Great work on the ROM!
stelph said:
Thanks, yes my nook is 1.2.0 so I've now installed the ROM on my non-glow light and it looks like it works fine! Seems stable and could start using it straight away, the only fault was opera wouldn't load/didint install properly but I followed the guide and re-installed it and it now works
I think the simple layout is really great, although one question, I plan to add the kindle app. Will I be able to add it to the "book" symbol (ie when I press the reading book it'd be nice to get an option of barnes&noble or kindle)? Im sure there is probably a legal reason why it hasnt but i think a kindle app would be good to include as standard, since kindle is one of the most popular ebook services and I bet most people have some books they'd want to access
Great work on the ROM!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my next update you will be able to customise the launcher as you like. The fact that you cant is a bug that can be fixed by clearing the launcher data using the included titanium backup program.
Since i'm back from the hell of the "bricked nook", now i can come back to test your mod with more understanding.
It seems that if we change the language to all but english, the installation of the mod is doomed to a blank launcher. (that was the case for registering the nook i have to do it in english).
I reflash my nook after setting it in english and that correctly installs everything (not Opera but that's easy to recover it).
may be a note for foreigners who try to install this mod is to be aware of keeping the nook in shakespeare's mother tongue.
would you mind integrating in your future version the manga reader "perfect viewer"? fastmode.apk is also a request but now i understand that is not so easy.
thanks for your contribution. :highfive:
I'll report my experience using this technique. A few days ago, I purchased a US Nook Simple Touch (non-glow) which came with software v.1.0. I made a backup using the method referenced in the OP. I then upgraded to software v.1.2 via the manual (USB mode) method shown at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Software-Updates-NOOK-Simple-Touch/379003175/ . I made another backup. I verified both backups using the SD card method as suggested by roustabout. Everything looked good.
I followed the OP instructions and was successful in installing TFU_ALPHA3.zip with CWM.
Upon reboot of the NST, I saw a dialog chooser asking me to select either the standard Nook software or Launcher7. I first tried Launcher7 and was greeted with a large gray "n" background. Nothing else. The only button that had functionality was the "n" button which brought up the "home" menu at the bottom of the screen. This got me back to the standard Nook software. So at least the reader still worked.
I rebooted and tried Launcher7 again, just to be sure. Still nothing but the large gray "n" background. No apps.
I restored my v.1.2 backup without any problems, and am now back to a "stock" NST. All good.
So while the TFU_ALPHA3.zip installation proceeded without incident, I didn't see any apps that I could run from Launcher7. I guess I'll have to try a different technique.
it seems like the same problem i said in my previous topic. did you set your language to anything but english?
i had the launcher7 without anything loaded. I had to set the language in english then reinstall the TFUAlpha3 to make it work correctly.
hope it helps.
jjinkou2 said:
it seems like the same problem i said in my previous topic. did you set your language to anything but english?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the US version of the NST. I couldn't find any way to change the language in the settings.
fastmode is working but we have to set it manually. i read this here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1241419, and i tested it.
Code:
adb shell
# cd /sys/class/graphics/fb0/
# echo -n 1 > fmode
# echo -n 0 > pgflip_refresh
since no-refresh and fastmode are autoexclusive i set pgflip_refresh to 0.
values are lost when the nook reboots.
New version coming soon. Lets start a list of requests guys. And if anyone has tested custom graphics settings, what works for you?
Loney,
Things that aren't working for me:
* Launcher 7 settings can't be altered (changes don't "save")
* apk installs are hitty-missy. Sometimes moving an apk into /data/apps and rebooting will work, other times I need to install it again by clicking on it in a file explorer.
* Fast mode app does nothing (but we knew that...)
Other than that, all is cool. I have also installed the patched .jars from the "mod manager" thread and they work alongside your changes.
Well done for your efforts on our behalf. Shout if you want anything specific testing - I'm confident that I can recover from "bricking"!
John
loney01843 said:
New version coming soon. Lets start a list of requests guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried this yet, but when I do I would imagine access to google markets would be needed.
A follow-up on my experience which may (or may not) help getting this to work with the US NST (non-glow). Yesterday, I decided to give GlowNooter (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1675706) a try. Suspecting that it wouldn't work out-of-the-box, I deleted /system/framework/framework.jar from the glownooter.zip file. Installation of the .zip succeeded, and I was able to run ADW Launcher. I added my account to YouTube, attempted to sync in GMail, rebooted, and installed the PART-2-END.zip. Then I tried to open up Market, but kept getting connection errors. I also tried the Browser app, but was unable to enter text into Google's search page. So I guess there is stuff in glownooter's framework.jar file that is needed for everything to work. I didn't try too much more.
Anyway, I reverted to the stock NST 1.2 software for now. But I am happy to help with testing new firmware since I'm pretty confident about restoring to stock software.
Anyone have the steps to take to preform a hard reset of fix a non booting device?
I am stuck on the amazon Fire TV part where the boot animation is doing nothing. Can't get past this screen and have been stuck for the last 10 minutes.
jamesrascal said:
Anyone have the steps to take to preform a hard reset of fix a non booting device?
I am stuck on the amazon Fire TV part where the boot animation is doing nothing. Can't get past this screen and have been stuck for the last 10 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
End Result. If you brick you box Amazon has no troubleshooting steps outside of rebooting the box. Once you get past that step and your still having an issue Amazon will issue you a replacement FireTV.
You will need to call Amazon as the Live chat is useless: 866-216-1072 Press 0 and ask to be transferred to the Fire TV department.
jamesrascal said:
Anyone have the steps to take to preform a hard reset of fix a non booting device?
I am stuck on the amazon Fire TV part where the boot animation is doing nothing. Can't get past this screen and have been stuck for the last 10 minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, boy. That is unfortunate. What did you do that lead to bricking your box?
I am in the same situation with one of my FireTV box. What caused it was one of the SQLite editor I used to explore the settings database: it changed the permissions on the files. I only realized the problem once I rebooted it
On the other box, I used the SQLite3 command line client from TitaniumBackup instead, and directly did my edit as root. No problem there.
Unfortunately, I am not in US; so if there is a way to do a hard reset, I would be glad to know.
if you bought yours at a local best buy and are a select customer, you may have an extended return policy.
You must have edited something you shouldn't have with the sqlite editor. I edited mine to allow package installs and did a factory reset and its all good. Did you only disable the updates through pm disable com.amazon.dcp or did you also edit the /etc/hosts? Lets get this figured out so others don't end up the same way.
Stupid question, did you pick TWRP as a method of recovery during the rooting process? I did that on my note 10.1 and boy did it mess up that tablet when I tried to recover it. Luckily I had Odin at the time.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
arman68 said:
I am in the same situation with one of my FireTV box. What caused it was one of the SQLite editor I used to explore the settings database: it changed the permissions on the files. I only realized the problem once I rebooted it
On the other box, I used the SQLite3 command line client from TitaniumBackup instead, and directly did my edit as root. No problem there.
Unfortunately, I am not in US; so if there is a way to do a hard reset, I would be glad to know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you recall which sqlite editor app you used that caused the problem?
Be interesting to know if there's a stock recovery, and if there is, if it's looking for an update.zip file on a thumb drive in the USB slot. We can tell that USB slot is getting polled at start time by the way that certain connections to it will hang the device.
If it were me, I'd try is to obtain a 1 gig or so USB drive, format it fat32 and copy the OTA update to it.
- Leave it zipped.
- Name it update.zip
- pull the plug on the FTV
- put the USB stick in
- power it on and leave it for a bit. Watch it - is the power LED going out? If so, it may doing a recovery install of the signed OTA and rebooting - many Android devices will install anything on the sdcard called Update.zip if it's there at boot time.
The idea is that if there's a stock recovery it may be able to see that USB storage and read the OTA file as a recovery source.
roustabout said:
Be interesting to know if there's a stock recovery, and if there is, if it's looking for an update.zip file on a thumb drive in the USB slot. We can tell that USB slot is getting polled at start time by the way that certain connections to it will hang the device.
If it were me, I'd try is to obtain a 1 gig or so USB drive, format it fat32 and copy the OTA update to it.
- Leave it zipped.
- Name it update.zip
- pull the plug on the FTV
- put the USB stick in
- power it on and leave it for a bit. Watch it - is the power LED going out? If so, it may doing a recovery install of the signed OTA and rebooting - many Android devices will install anything on the sdcard called Update.zip if it's there at boot time.
The idea is that if there's a stock recovery it may be able to see that USB storage and read the OTA file as a recovery source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There might be something to this idea. There was a review posted on Amazon and the reviewer had a Best Buy box that wouldn't go past the Amazon screen. They said Amazon told them how to use the USB to get it to work. A couple people asked for more info but they never responded. I have tried going back through the reviews to see if they ever did, but there are almost 6000 reviews.
kairnage said:
There might be something to this idea. There was a review posted on Amazon and the reviewer had a Best Buy box that wouldn't go past the Amazon screen. They said Amazon told them how to use the USB to get it to work. A couple people asked for more info but they never responded. I have tried going back through the reviews to see if they ever did, but there are almost 6000 reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have only sideloaded a few apps , no root or root attempt was made before issues.
i have a similar boot issue ( stops at amazon first screen and led flashes white) . i believe my remote is fried , batteries heated up while pressing the home button to pair remote , i removed battery and found the plastic wrap on one starting to burn . i believe remote is toast .
can anyone verify that the boot will stop until remote is paired ?
ps : amazon phone help mentioned reset on remote was hold right arrow key ( ie right circle ) and home button for 10 secs , to reset just the remote ,. nothing helped mine , i say its dead. another is on the way ,. he also said the lack of pairing with remote should not have stopped the ftv boot , it should have gone past first amazon screen . other than restarting the ftv by disconnecting power he offered no other reset method .
bkdg100 said:
i have a similar boot issue ( stops at amazon first screen and led flashes white) . i believe my remote is fried , batteries heated up while pressing the home button to pair remote , i removed battery and found the plastic wrap on one starting to burn . i believe remote is toast .
can anyone verify that the boot will stop until remote is paired ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Removed batteries from remote and rebooted FTV, boots like normal, could not find a way to delete a paired remote otherwise I would have tried that too,
userr12 said:
Removed batteries from remote and rebooted FTV, boots like normal, could not find a way to delete a paired remote otherwise I would have tried that too,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks ,. i called amazon they confirmed normal boot even without pairing ,. also said how to reset "just the remote" ,. right tab and home for 10secs.
kairnage said:
There might be something to this idea. There was a review posted on Amazon and the reviewer had a Best Buy box that wouldn't go past the Amazon screen. They said Amazon told them how to use the USB to get it to work. A couple people asked for more info but they never responded. I have tried going back through the reviews to see if they ever did, but there are almost 6000 reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to find that review now. so far nothing
fireTVnews.com said:
Do you recall which sqlite editor app you used that caused the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have reviewed the logs of what I did, and it was my fault:
I used a non-root SQLite editor, which means I had to give -rw-rw-rw- access to the database folder and content, which I did.
With the SQLite editor, all I did was to explore the database structure.
Once done, I restored the original permissions, fist -rw------- (chmod 660) on the database folder and database file itself.
Finally I restored read-only -r-------- (chmod 600) to the extra files (settings-*), and that was my mistake: I did not notice my chmod line had 2 entries, with the first one being the database folder (wrong)
If only I would have root write access to the file system with adb, I could easily fix it, with a simple chmod 660 on the database folder.
In hindsight, I was very careless to do that directly on the FireTV; I should have taken a copy of settings.db, and explore it on the PC.
Luxferro said:
I'm trying to find that review now. so far nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I took a look again today. Their search doesn't really drill down very well.
Luxferro said:
I'm trying to find that review now. so far nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kairnage said:
Yeah I took a look again today. Their search doesn't really drill down very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are all the reviews with the word "USB" in them on one page:
http://firetvnews.com/review_usb.html
I skimmed through it but couldn't find the elusive review.
@Firetv: please review post #15 in this thread, and consider adjusting the post on your website accordingly - when I saw your site, it was stating that adjusting values in the settings databases risked changing the permissions on those databases.
That does not appear to be the case, but rather reflected confusion on the part of the person who was doing the settings changes and permissions changes from the shell at the same time.
I haven't seen a db editor that changes the permissions of the dbs themselves....'
Back to softbricked devices: I see that Amazon sells a thing called a "fastboot cable" which in theory forces the Kindle Fires to reboot into fastboot mode if attached to a computer. I'd be interested in what one of these did in conjunction with an A to A converter, since I haven't seen fastboot mode available yet (that I know of)
roustabout said:
@Firetv: please review post #15 in this thread, and consider adjusting the post on your website accordingly - when I saw your site, it was stating that adjusting values in the settings databases risked changing the permissions on those databases.
That does not appear to be the case, but rather reflected confusion on the part of the person who was doing the settings changes and permissions changes from the shell at the same time.
I haven't seen a db editor that changes the permissions of the dbs themselves....'
Back to softbricked devices: I see that Amazon sells a thing called a "fastboot cable" which in theory forces the Kindle Fires to reboot into fastboot mode if attached to a computer. I'd be interested in what one of these did in conjunction with an A to A converter, since I haven't seen fastboot mode available yet (that I know of)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've definitely been tempted to remove the warning about SQLite databases after reading arman68's update. I haven't, however, because I've been individually contact by someone stating they used a free SQLite app from the Google Play store which caused them to lose their ethernet connection and soft-bricked after a restart.
I have gone ahead and updated the post to reduce the concern and stated that the SQLite Editor app everyone is using here seems to be safe.
Also, a fastboot connection can be achieved with any A to A USB cable. You simply need to boot the Fire TV while it's connected to a computer and it will boot into fastboot. I've done this myself with a Mac (have not tried a PC). The Fire TV displays a white Amazon logo on the screen and stays there until you reboot it without the cable plugged in. There doesn't seem to be much that can be done with the locked bootloader, but then again, I'm not the one to know as that is all new territory for me. Got any suggestions on things to try with fastboot?
fireTVnews.com said:
I've definitely been tempted to remove the warning about SQLite databases after reading arman68's update. I haven't, however, because I've been individually contact by someone stating they used a free SQLite app from the Google Play store which caused them to lose their ethernet connection and soft-bricked after a restart.
I have gone ahead and updated the post to reduce the concern and stated that the SQLite Editor app everyone is using here seems to be safe.
Also, a fastboot connection can be achieved with any A to A USB cable. You simply need to boot the Fire TV while it's connected to a computer and it will boot into fastboot. I've done this myself with a Mac (have not tried a PC). The Fire TV displays a white Amazon logo on the screen and stays there until you reboot it without the cable plugged in. There doesn't seem to be much that can be done with the locked bootloader, but then again, I'm not the one to know as that is all new territory for me. Got any suggestions on things to try with fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't mean to say you can't hose your device by changing settings with an editor, just that I don't think any of them change permissions. so using them to look but not change is pretty safe, IMO, and I'd hate to see folks discouraged from doing so.
I'm surprised that there's not a better onboard recovery on this device, or at least not one anyone's figured out how to get moving. I'dthink it'd be cheaper for Amazon if the devices had a viable recovery, or if there was a solid reset to factory which actually did a full reinstall of the OS.
Interesting about the fastboot mode - when i connect the FTV to my laptop using an A to A cable I don't get a device recognized in fastboot, but it may be down to not having a driver for it.
I'm in the process of setting up an AFTV for a non-technical friend with Kodi and all of the latest, greatest add-ons. From time to time, a third-party add-on will stop working or become unreliable. On the other side, new add-ons come out that may be better than those that I've placed on her AFTV.
What I'm looking for is a way to update her AFTV remotely from time to time, removing old add-ons and installing new ones. I want to do this without having to remotely connect to her home network, remote PC, etc.
Is there an add-on I can install on her AFTV that will let me remotely "clean up" her device from time to time?
Hope I'm explaining this correctly.... Any help is appreciated.
phillyfanatic203 said:
I'm in the process of setting up an AFTV for a non-technical friend with Kodi and all of the latest, greatest add-ons. From time to time, a third-party add-on will stop working or become unreliable. On the other side, new add-ons come out that may be better than those that I've placed on her AFTV.
What I'm looking for is a way to update her AFTV remotely from time to time, removing old add-ons and installing new ones. I want to do this without having to remotely connect to her home network, remote PC, etc.
Is there an add-on I can install on her AFTV that will let me remotely "clean up" her device from time to time?
Hope I'm explaining this correctly.... Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know exactly what you are saying. I have this issue all the time. To get the most out of your friends firetv, you need Root access on the target device. and then install
TeamViewer QuickSupport form google play. you can also do remove live view and do what you want. I do it all the time for my parents overseas. Earlier I had my dad do facetime and vocal instructions which was always a difficult thing. Now All I need is 2 connections. One to the Firetv through Quicksupport and one to his PC and I can install/update/fix anything I want as If I'm there.
If your friend is not rooted, you can still install quicksupport but you wont get live desktop as the first time you ask for remote desktop, kit will ask you to grant root permissions. I've also reached out to team viewer to make this an official app so it does not require root.
Hope this answers your question.
I know exactly what you are saying. I have this issue all the time. To get the most out of your friends firetv, you need Root access on the target device. and then install
TeamViewer QuickSupport form google play. you can also do remove live view and do what you want. I do it all the time for my parents overseas. Earlier I had my dad do facetime and vocal instructions which was always a difficult thing. Now All I need is 2 connections. One to the Firetv through Quicksupport and one to his PC and I can install/update/fix anything I want as If I'm there.
If your friend is not rooted, you can still install quicksupport but you wont get live desktop as the first time you ask for remote desktop, kit will ask you to grant root permissions. I've also reached out to team viewer to make this an official app so it does not require root.
Hope this answers your question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have mentioned that this is an AFTV stick, and that rooting is really not much of an option for me. Also, I'd like to push these updates without her being involved in any way -- other than perhaps launching an add-on that would perhaps update her Kodi installation (perhaps the data folder) so that she has the add-ons installed that I want at that point.
I know some folks have developed add-ons that do something similar, but they are proprietary to their devices, so that doesn't help me much.
Essentially what I'd like to do is be able to tell her ... run this add-on, which I install for her initially, and it will update all of your other add-ons (uninstall, install, etc). I'm not sure what path to take here.... and I hope I'm making sense.
phillyfanatic203 said:
I should have mentioned that this is an AFTV stick, and that rooting is really not much of an option for me. Also, I'd like to push these updates without her being involved in any way -- other than perhaps launching an add-on that would perhaps update her Kodi installation (perhaps the data folder) so that she has the add-ons installed that I want at that point.
I know some folks have developed add-ons that do something similar, but they are proprietary to their devices, so that doesn't help me much.
Essentially what I'd like to do is be able to tell her ... run this add-on, which I install for her initially, and it will update all of your other add-ons (uninstall, install, etc). I'm not sure what path to take here.... and I hope I'm making sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install quicksupport. I believe you can still look into her stick without being rooted and then put the files in the correct folder. Perhaps, you can check on to see how to install an ftp server such as EZ file explorer and map that IP staticly from her router and you open up a port to get in. Lots of ways you can do it if you really wanted to.
You can use an FTP server like: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theolivetree.ftpserver
And then Autostart it with: Autostart and StaY! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atasoglou.autostartandstay&hl=en
Note: I haven't tested any of the above. I believe the infamous Llama can also achieve the same as autostart.
Install quicksupport. I believe you can still look into her stick without being rooted and then put the files in the correct folder. Perhaps, you can check on to see how to install an ftp server such as EZ file explorer and map that IP staticly from her router and you open up a port to get in. Lots of ways you can do it if you really wanted to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestions!
I know that some people have written add-ons (proprietary to their device) which will update the other Kodi add-ons that are installed, enabled or disabled each time their add-on is run. The add-on will retrieve a .zip file from their host, copy it down to the device, and extract and run whatever they need to which in turn updates the device with their latest recommended add-ons...
I realize this is a rather complex solution, but maybe not if this type of add-on already exists out there. I'm hoping that it does, and someone is aware of it and can point me in the right direction.
phillyfanatic203 said:
Thanks for the suggestions!
I know that some people have written add-ons (proprietary to their device) which will update the other Kodi add-ons that are installed, enabled or disabled each time their add-on is run. The add-on will retrieve a .zip file from their host, copy it down to the device, and extract and run whatever they need to which in turn updates the device with their latest recommended add-ons...
I realize this is a rather complex solution, but maybe not if this type of add-on already exists out there. I'm hoping that it does, and someone is aware of it and can point me in the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok I hope to see such an addon as well. Let us know if you do find something that suits your needs.
Hi everyone, it's been a long time! I used to be into this stuff back when I got my original Fire TV Gen 1 Box and rooted it etc. I still have been rocking it but it's slow and like half rooted ( unlocked but not root). Got a great deal on a FireTv4k stick on amazon for $25
Rumor has it that Black Friday will have this price as well and we can expect a LARGE influx of new firetv users posting. the same questions I had about the state of Rooting, KODI, Custom Launchers etc. This information is by NO MEANS exhaustive, and is just what I gathered in the last few hours of research and getting things up and running.
*Do I need to Jailbreak/Root my new fire tv?*
Honestly, probably not. Jailbreaking, or rooting as. we call in android world is really not AS useful as many think. It allows for much deeper customization however for what most people are looking for ie. KODI/Sideloading APK's a root/jailbreak _IS NOT REQUIRED_. This link will explain how to turn on developer tools and 3rd party apps. and how you can load KODI on to your fire tv without rooting.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/how-to-install-kodi-fire-tv,news-25115.html
*2. Can I Root My Fire TV*
If you still want to root/jailbreak, for whatever reason. Some devices can and some devices cant be rooted. The firetv4k stick can be rooted. However it's not for the faint of heart and required removing the casing, shorting out some leads on the electrical board and having a linux machine handy. Not really worth it in my opinion.
3. Can I put custom launchers on my fire tv so I don't need to look at all the ads on the amazon home screen.
YES you can! the method that worked for me today ( 11/20/2019) was using Lean Back Launcher Instructions found in the first post here.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/development/app-leanback-launcher-fire-tv-t3750451
BUT on page 18 user @tsynik was kind to update a long dead project for 4k fire tv's at this link https://github.com/tsynik/LeanbackLauncher
the finally piece of the puzzle is to get it so that when you press the HOME button on your remote, it goes to this new , less cluttered launcher. To do that we need LauncherHijack. Also another app that seem's to have not been updated in a while. Thankfully I came across a post on git hub with instructions to get it working https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/issues/52#issuecomment-504738320
I personally ended up not even using Leanback Launcher in the long run. Instead I used the LauncherHijack and set it to KODI.....that way every time I press home I get put back to kodi. I then used the theme AMBER to create a custom menu in kodi that links out to the official NETFLIX/HBO GO,YOUTUBE apps.
I hope this helps a few of the newbies coming in here. Feel free to ask questions and I'll try my best to answer. But be warned im not super technical.
Thanks!
The whole bit about the launchers is outdated for the 4k stick at least. That method now results in a voice overlay on almost all streaming apps. No fix has been found yet.
JUSTINMARMER said:
The whole bit about the launchers is outdated for the 4k stick at least. That method now results in a voice overlay on almost all streaming apps. No fix has been found yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? Can you give me an example of an app that does that? I haven't run into this error yet using KODI,Youtube APK, Netflix APK, and HBO GO Apk.
Are you sure you are using the updated leanback launcher for fire tv 4K that I linked to?
Sure, if you go back to the thread that's all about that LauncherHijack
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/launcher-root-launcher-hijack-v4-t3877467
You'll see a bunch of us crying about it.
JUSTINMARMER said:
Sure, if you go back to the thread that's all about that LauncherHijack
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/launcher-root-launcher-hijack-v4-t3877467
You'll see a bunch of us crying about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting. I have not had this issue. I seem to maybe used launcher hijack V 3? along wit hate git hub REPACK and Settings File.......can you try that and tell me if you get the same results?
I have attached the two files I use. Install Hijack, Then Install Debug, Launch Debug First, Then Launch Hijack
Dxfan227 said:
That's interesting. I have not had this issue. I seem to maybe used launcher hijack V 3? along wit hate git hub REPACK and Settings File.......can you try that and tell me if you get the same results?
I have attached the two files I use. Install Hijack, Then Install Debug, Launch Debug First, Then Launch Hijack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I need to run any ADB commands?
Dxfan227 said:
really? Can you give me an example of an app that does that? I haven't run into this error yet using KODI,Youtube APK, Netflix APK, and HBO GO Apk.
Are you sure you are using the updated leanback launcher for fire tv 4K that I linked to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you confirm you have done this on the latest 4K firestick ? The one that has the ADB Shell as "mantis"
When the follow the process:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
All works great, except when i open Youtube / Netflix , i get the voice view / narrator telling me whats on the screen !
Please let me know
JUSTINMARMER said:
Do I need to run any ADB commands?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
Intenti0n said:
Can you confirm you have done this on the latest 4K firestick ? The one that has the ADB Shell as "mantis"
When the follow the process:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
All works great, except when i open Youtube / Netflix , i get the voice view / narrator telling me whats on the screen !
Please let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting you're the second individual in this thread with this issue.
The firestick 4k was ordered from amazon directly just last week. I assume it's "mantis". I have been using YouTube and have no overlay voice. Just regular app experience.
JUSTINMARMER said:
The whole bit about the launchers is outdated for the 4k stick at least. That method now results in a voice overlay on almost all streaming apps. No fix has been found yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !
Intenti0n said:
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I could help ( What little I did LOL). Hopefully others will find this thread useful who had the same voice over issues as well as new fire TV 4k members coming from the BlackFriday Deals.
One other thing I did, and I'm not sure if it even does anything, is restrict amazon updates at the router level. It's pretty unreliable obviously but I figured it couldn't really hurt to do this.
Intenti0n said:
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't factory reset yet, but I will try when I get off work and report back. Thank you for your help.
JUSTINMARMER said:
I haven't factory reset yet, but I will try when I get off work and report back. Thank you for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there were some comments that you should uninstall the old version of LauncherHijack before the using the new one I linked. Maybe try that first before the full factory reset.
Intenti0n said:
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dxfan227 said:
there were some comments that you should uninstall the old version of LauncherHijack before the using the new one I linked. Maybe try that first before the full factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset and using the files you provided in this thread worked. Thanks for your help.
So I stumbled upon a guide from way back of 2016, and was wondering if it's possible to connect an NTFS external HDD to the FireTV 4k stick. The guide in question concerned a Fire TV and used a side-loaded "Paragon NTFS & HFS+" app to mount the hard drive and Kodi to access it.
Has anybody have had experience with that? Could that be possible if a powered USB hub was used?
Update: Although the voice view nonsense is fixed, one problem remains.... The built in cursor for Silk Browser has disappeared. I'm having to use an air mouse or mouse toggle. Did two more factory resets and once the ADB command is entered this problem returns.
JUSTINMARMER said:
Update: Although the voice view nonsense is fixed, one problem remains.... The built in cursor for Silk Browser has disappeared. I'm having to use an air mouse or mouse toggle. Did two more factory resets and once the ADB command is entered this problem returns.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm having the same issue with the cursor in Silk – I'm currently looking at the source of LauncherHijack to find out if we can do something about that. Meanwhile you can use Firefox; there the cursor is still working...
TheRealQubix said:
Yes, I'm having the same issue with the cursor in Silk – I'm currently looking at the source of LauncherHijack to find out if we can do something about that. Meanwhile you can use Firefox; there the cursor is still working...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but video controls in Firefox are atrocious. Please keep us informed if you make any progress with the cursor fix.
JUSTINMARMER said:
Yes, but video controls in Firefox are atrocious. Please keep us informed if you make any progress with the cursor fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I know But better than no cursor at all... I just got a wireless mini keyboard with touchpad which helps by providing a "real" mouse cursor in Silk but I'd really like to be able to use the standard remote... will keep this thread updated if I find a solution.
Btw, I've combined the functionality of the settingstest/debug apk into LauncherHijack so let me know if anybody needs this; then only LauncherHijack plus 1 adb command is required... (can I add files here?).
There once was a way to install android at
http://kdroid.org/
(Website is permanently down as of September 21, 2022)
this is a fork of a project that began in 2017 and stalled before mid-2019, it had been abandoned for long and it ran an ancient version of android(4.x)
Now, you can install this Android os (although a bit modified) on a Kindle.
It is not recent (released half a year ago) and pretty isolated on the internet.
And I want to bring such a guide to daylight, because I think it deserves attention.
(By the way, this is a work in progress, I apologize for the lengthy delays)
Here is the link:
{Mod edit: Link removed}
(Google drive link is coming)
Bear in mind while the system is very stable, I am not responsible for any issues caused by you using this (obviously uncertified) system
Detailed instructions are available in the attachments section.
Kindle 8 version is based on Android 5.1
All others are based on Android 4.4
I would say battery life is decent but keep in mind to not install resource-gobbling apps e.g. Minecraft or whatever
Supported models:
Kindle 7/Kindle Basic 2 /KT2 ）
Kindle Paperwhite 2 （ Kindle Paperwhite 6 gen）
Kindle Paperwhite 3 （ Kindle Paperwhite 7 gen）
Kindle Voyage
Kindle Oasis 1
Kindle 8 gen/Kindle Basic 3 /KT3
KindleXMigu (China Mobile x migu books domestic version)
Newer models are not supported due to bootloader beig locked. Jailbreaking does not unlock your bootloader, and while Alpine linux or other light distros might run on the kindle by a container, Android would not really work. There will not be any significant development for newer models of the Kindle unlesss there is sufficient demand (from you guys)
For Kindle 7, paperwhite 2, 3(except 32gig Japan version) and voyage you could choose to keep the original Kindle OS
Spoiler: (over)simplified instructions. Please use flash guide below instead if not sure.
First root/jailbreak your Kindle and install KUAL
Install fastboot driver on PC, and disable signature check if needed
The driver name is wrong and should be something like adb setup 1.4.2 with an Android logo
Put main-htmlviewer. tar.gz from the uboot folder into Kual (the names might be different)
In KUAL you will see something like FlashAndroid.
Make sure you have enough battery power in your Kindle, and tap the button.
The Kindle will reboot and enter fastboot mode. The status bar of the Kindle loading will get stuck. Don't worry. Everything is fine here.
Without admin privileges, run start.exe
Enter 8 when a list of weird letters appear.
Your Kindle should now be running Android! Have fun!
Installation Guide Version 2.1 Is now available.
These are the instructions made into videos by the original author.
Oasis1, thisand this
Please let me know if the links are dead.
Extremely sorry for the delay,
Apparently you have to register this app called QQ,
Log in and apply for the forum,
And then download the zip.
Long story short I was too bad at Chinese and they thought I was some sort of troll or child.
However, the owner of the forum DID post a link to a Chinese website called baidu disk (something like that)
With so little memory and storage space, I doubt GMS will even work. However, I encourage you to try to find out!
UPDATE:
the project manager is in touch with me and we are writing and translating an entire comprehensive guide for all models supported. GMS does worl but it would drain battery life so badly it would be useless to even install.
Hello. I can't download the files from Baidu. Can you please link them here, or upload them to Google Drive?
It would be very appreciated. Thank you!
Unfortunately my Google drive is full, and I could not download the baidu disk files myself. This is being sorted out.
you may chat with me to find an alternaltive way if needed
Meanwhile, you can go to this telegram channel to download the files needed:
{Mod edit: Link removed}
(Please do not censor this mods)
Disclaimer: the files on this channel has minor issues, as this project is still is in development.
We need your help!
@Ygjsz and Molly needs help fixing the open source Gralloc so it can refresh the screen in the correct waveform!
Please contact me if you are willing to contribute to this project!
these are all the links for the Android 5.1-based source code, provided by the author, Molly
https://github.com/MollySophia/android_hardware_imx
https://github.com/MollySophia/android_device_amazon_kindle
https://github.com/MollySophia/android_kernel_amazon_kindle
https://github.com/MollySophia/twrp_device_amazon_kindle
https://github.com/MollySophia/imx6_android_u-boot_kindle
Thank you. I'm going to see if I can compile the source.
@Nicknackpaddywack101
I've sanitised the thread from references to Telegram! Regarding social media links please observe that as an exemption from the last bullet of rule no. 5 of the XDA Forum Rules, we grant only developers the privilege to share references to their social media in their own development threads and if thorough support is provided in the thread. These conditions obviously don't apply to your posts, threads or you. Additional information is also available here:
Telegram Chat Channels - Way Forward
WhatsApp/Telegram Groups and Channels - Going Forward Hello XDA family! Just notifying all members that posting certain links to Telegram and other sites like WhatsApp is now allowed on XDA. What does that mean? We will allow links to messages...
forum.xda-developers.com
Additionally, Telegram is not accepted as filehost as a registration is required that violates rule no. 11 of the XDA Forum Rules. Please refrain for sharing of social media references unless within your own development threads and do not drag members away from XDA to social media! Please read my announcement as a friendly warning.
Regards
Oswald Boelcke
Senior Moderator
Nice, evolution, maybe )
oldman20 said:
Nice, evolution, maybe )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
? Can you explain more?
Nicknackpaddywack101 said:
? Can you explain more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didnt you success project?
I did not for now.. :/
Trying to flash to a Kindle PW2 6.th gen running 5.12.2.2
Im running windows 11
I ran into a problem after step 2.5:
If the Kindle’s screen flashes and the Kindle restarts, wait until the Kindle loading bar stops
moving.
Your PC should indicate that something is being unplugged and plugged in multiple times.( still In
the loading screen)
DO NOT touch the power button while the Kindle restarts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did so but have the folowing situation:
1- The Kinde starts rebooting and gets mounted for a periode of time. I would be able to copy files to the kindle.
2- Then it unmounts, the boot process goes on and goes to the "USB Drive Mode"
3- The device gets mounted and unmounted (at least windows plays the "plugin- plugout- sounds) in a never endling loop.
When I open de windows device manager Kindle shows up with the exclamation mark. There seems to be no valid driver for the device.
4- After about about a minute the Kindle reboots and runs throug the descibed steps
I guess the device fastboot drivers are not installed correctly.
I will try if intsalling the android sdk chances anything
Any suggestions?
The Kindle has been charged to 100% but im a little afraid, that it may constantly loose power and may die (?) The indicator LED is green while in state 1 and changes to orange while in state 2 and 3. does this mean its beeing charged at any time?
I would be happy for any suggestions
I solved it
i missed to manually add the driver.
after doing so. the bat ran fine. when it told me to do so i longpressed the power button to reboot.
now its running android :]
Thank you for your tutorial. I would suggest to describe the steps a little more detailed to make it noob proof :]
snoerme said:
I solved it
i missed to manually add the driver.
View attachment 5820195
after doing so. the bat ran fine. when it told me to do so i longpressed the power button to reboot.
now its running android :]
Thank you for your tutorial. I would suggest to describe the steps a little more detailed to make it noob proof :]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats your experience!?
it runs fine, but the possibilitys are very limited for now because i hardly find any any app that can be run.
there are no gapps installed, and im not shure wheter there is something like twrp available for the pw2.
there's a browser, a file manager and an ebook reader preinstalled as well as a launcher with some basic settings. wifi works.
I gave it a try because i was looking for a solution to display a calender that can sync with multiple google accounts. maybe someone can suggest, where to find old android kitkat apps that fit my needs.
forgot to say, that that its rooted with supersu.
i found out that apkmirror lets me filter my search for android versions.
i downloaded some apps and they all seem to work:
catLog
Calculator
Droid Info
Open Gapps app installs and runs fine but toasts "Connection to server failed" after i selected the pico package for 4.4
would have been too easy to believe though ^^
snoerme said:
forgot to say, that that its rooted with supersu.
i found out that apkmirror lets me filter my search for android versions.
i downloaded some apps and they all seem to work:
catLog
Calculator
Droid Info
Open Gapps app installs and runs fine but toasts "Connection to server failed" after i selected the pico package for 4.4
would have been too easy to believe though ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly my device is Kindle Oasis 2, which not support
snoerme said:
forgot to say, that that its rooted with supersu.
i found out that apkmirror lets me filter my search for android versions.
i downloaded some apps and they all seem to work:
catLog
Calculator
Droid Info
Open Gapps app installs and runs fine but toasts "Connection to server failed" after i selected the pico package for 4.4
would have been too easy to believe though ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it will also use TWRP recovery to install it. (because it's only supported one)
If this can run. It will not work.
Install GApps Manually
groups.google.com
I find this tutorial work, but it requires some workaround.
"adb root" will not work. You will need "adb shell" to remount /system.
After copied you will need to fix copied file permission.
/system don't have enough disk for pico. You will need to remove something.
In my case, its PW2. I don't think it has enough ram to run it.
snoerme said:
I solved it
i missed to manually add the driver.
View attachment 5820195
after doing so. the bat ran fine. when it told me to do so i longpressed the power button to reboot.
now its running android :]
Thank you for your tutorial. I would suggest to describe the steps a little more detailed to make it noob proof :]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a detailed tutorial in the attachments section. Thanks for letting me know and I will update the post.