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I bought this Xperia ARC LT15a on Friday and have been having LOTS of trouble figuring out what to do with it. I came on here and I can say the tutorials aren't very noob-friendly because you have your own "lingo" that I dont understand whatsoever.
Now, for you guys to understand my frustration, I am coming from IOS, and was told "rooting" an Android phone is a much simpler process then jailbreaking an iPone. Well, that sure as hell has proven to be wrong since I can't even figure out how to UPDATE my phone >_>
First off, what I'm trying to do is update it to ICS. Sony says you can do it using the PC Companion, but it says I'm up to date. Same thing with the SEUS or whatever you call it...says I'm up to date. I am running Android Ver. 2.3.4 so I'm pretty sure I am NOT up to date...my IM number (or whatever) is listed as compatible with ICS so it should just update via seus or pc companion...but no...
So someone linked me to tutorials on how to FLASH ics to it... but all of the tutorials have dead links and are completely useless to me now...
Can someone PLEASE tell me what to do... I just want to update to ICS and root it, but I can't even f***ing update.........!!!! very frustrating
i felt exactly the same mate haha
but this was my first smartphone full stop lol
is it the tutorial links in general that are dead?
but do some searching, i found pretty much everything i needed on here
and now i can change ROMS, kernels, baseband etc in minutes
im sure someone more helpful will be along soon lol
Right - I haven't posted much but having been pretty much under the same level of noob frustration before I'll try to help....
First - Often, during updates you can be driven mad with reboots and reboot cycles..... hopefully, what is outlined below can be a guide to sorting out any problems you might have.
1. Backup everything.
- go to play store and search for "backup" and you'll find what you need. I use Astro File Manager for application backup and sms backup for messages. I'm not bothered about backing up anything else.
2. Unlock the Bootloader.
- download sdk starter package
Code:
://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
- so far as I can figure this will facilitate communications between your pc and phone. CyanogenMod Wiki guides you through this process:
Code:
://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Howto:_Install_the_Android_SDK
- download latest version of fastboot. Now, you'll never double click on this program to run it. Instead you'll run commands from your command tool which will use the program to do the work.
- record your IMEI - in dialer type in *#06# for your IMEI & write it down.
- get your phone attached in fastboot mode. to do this you turn off your phone and hold the menu button while you attach it via USB to your computer.
- see if you're connected properly. Look for command prompt (Windows Key - All Programs - Accessories). Right click on this and run as administrator. Type in the following: fastboot -i 0x0fce getvar version . It will give an obviously positive message if you are correctly connected - if not, ensure you've attached in properly.
- get code to unlock bootloader - go here:
Code:
://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/
and go through the process to get an unlock key. Once you have this, go back to your command prompt and type fastboot -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xUNLOCKKEY (where UNLOCKKEY is the number you have gotten from Sony website. You should get a confirming message.
Now that you've unlocked the bootloader you need to decide what kind of kernel and ROM you want. You can regard the ROM as software whereas the kernel links the software to the hardware. This is my limited understanding anyway.
3. Now, sometimes people make standalone kernels and sometimes they are kept with the ROM.
This leaves a couple of options
- you can flash a stand-alone kernel using flashtool (
Code:
://androxyde.github.com/
). The process is pretty simple.
- Now, if you download a ROM which advises that you need to extract and flash a file called "boot.img" there is a different method. In this case your ROM zip file can be extracted to find the boot.img file.
When you get the boot.img file you can place it in C:\. Now, all advice will be to place it in the platform-tools folder which is created in step 1. It doesn't matter really so long as you point at the right place when flashing.
(I also think that you can use flashtool in flashmode to do this job....)
4. Now you have a kernel on your Xperia and seeing as you've got the bootloader unlocked you can now unplug the phone and turn it on. While the phone is booting up, keep toggling the volume button and it should go into bootloader. This is a text-based interface that allows you several functions.
Somewhere in there is an option to mount the SD card (for which you need to plug into your comp again)
5. You'll see the phone's SD card in Windows explorer and will be able to put your ROM onto it (NOT the extracted stuff from earlier but the original zip file).
6. You can now install this ROM but first clear all data and the dalvik cache. I also always to the battery stats here too. It might take a little bit of exploring to find these.
7. Now you can go to "install zip from SD Card". Step through and you will find where you put the ROM zip file. Select it and install the ROM.
At this point, you may get a bit frustrated - because it's here that you find things like:
The ROM sucks
Bits don't work or
You can't get it to work
For any of the above try again....
Currently I'm on Paranoid Android ICS ROM which I like but if I can't get the Wi-Fi working there's no way I'll be sticking to it. Another that I really liked and will return to is Boost HD RC4
I hope it works out for you.....
Tony
Canned30 said:
Right - I haven't posted much but having been pretty much under the same level of noob frustration before I'll try to help....
First - Often, during updates you can be driven mad with reboots and reboot cycles..... hopefully, what is outlined below can be a guide to sorting out any problems you might have.
1. Backup everything.
- go to play store and search for "backup" and you'll find what you need. I use Astro File Manager for application backup and sms backup for messages. I'm not bothered about backing up anything else.
2. Unlock the Bootloader.
- download sdk starter package
Code:
://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
- so far as I can figure this will facilitate communications between your pc and phone. CyanogenMod Wiki guides you through this process:
Code:
://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Howto:_Install_the_Android_SDK
- download latest version of fastboot. Now, you'll never double click on this program to run it. Instead you'll run commands from your command tool which will use the program to do the work.
- record your IMEI - in dialer type in *#06# for your IMEI & write it down.
- get your phone attached in fastboot mode. to do this you turn off your phone and hold the menu button while you attach it via USB to your computer.
- see if you're connected properly. Look for command prompt (Windows Key - All Programs - Accessories). Right click on this and run as administrator. Type in the following: fastboot -i 0x0fce getvar version . It will give an obviously positive message if you are correctly connected - if not, ensure you've attached in properly.
- get code to unlock bootloader - go here:
Code:
://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/
and go through the process to get an unlock key. Once you have this, go back to your command prompt and type fastboot -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xUNLOCKKEY (where UNLOCKKEY is the number you have gotten from Sony website. You should get a confirming message.
Now that you've unlocked the bootloader you need to decide what kind of kernel and ROM you want. You can regard the ROM as software whereas the kernel links the software to the hardware. This is my limited understanding anyway.
3. Now, sometimes people make standalone kernels and sometimes they are kept with the ROM.
This leaves a couple of options
- you can flash a stand-alone kernel using flashtool (
Code:
://androxyde.github.com/
). The process is pretty simple.
- Now, if you download a ROM which advises that you need to extract and flash a file called "boot.img" there is a different method. In this case your ROM zip file can be extracted to find the boot.img file.
When you get the boot.img file you can place it in C:\. Now, all advice will be to place it in the platform-tools folder which is created in step 1. It doesn't matter really so long as you point at the right place when flashing.
(I also think that you can use flashtool in flashmode to do this job....)
4. Now you have a kernel on your Xperia and seeing as you've got the bootloader unlocked you can now unplug the phone and turn it on. While the phone is booting up, keep toggling the volume button and it should go into bootloader. This is a text-based interface that allows you several functions.
Somewhere in there is an option to mount the SD card (for which you need to plug into your comp again)
5. You'll see the phone's SD card in Windows explorer and will be able to put your ROM onto it (NOT the extracted stuff from earlier but the original zip file).
6. You can now install this ROM but first clear all data and the dalvik cache. I also always to the battery stats here too. It might take a little bit of exploring to find these.
7. Now you can go to "install zip from SD Card". Step through and you will find where you put the ROM zip file. Select it and install the ROM.
At this point, you may get a bit frustrated - because it's here that you find things like:
The ROM sucks
Bits don't work or
You can't get it to work
For any of the above try again....
Currently I'm on Paranoid Android ICS ROM which I like but if I can't get the Wi-Fi working there's no way I'll be sticking to it. Another that I really liked and will return to is Boost HD RC4
I hope it works out for you.....
Tony
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have mentioned that the only thing I was successful doing was unlocking the bootloader...but then I was told to re-lock it so I could update using the PC companion.......... very annoying
thanks for the detailed reply..
I'm thinking now I wont bother with ICS and ill just root my current version 2.3.4 but yet again ive run into problems with dead links since most have not been updated since this time last year..
*EDIT*
I've tried DooMLords app thing to root, and all I get is a bunch of errors
trying to post a pic with all the errors but im not allowed...............................frustration after frustration after frustration
Try downloading some custom kernels n Roms from this site to see which version of ICS suits not best
There are threads with very explicit details on how to do so, you just need to look
I used to be a noob, on longer the case now.
Currently running acronium 2.4 with doomkernel v04 with WiFi modules, learned how to do all this from here
I'll figure out a site to upload all that I've downloaded so you have access to them with instructions cause some links don't work in other threads
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app
Greetings!
First of all, I am sorry if this is on the wrong section of the forum. Nevertheless i've tried few rooting applications which are stated to be compatible with this ME103K model, but with no results.. Also many fake sites trying to lure you to purchase something.
Is there anyone who could provide me information on how to root my ASUS ME103K tablet? Should I also try every rooting application available out there or is this useless? Can I verify if they are compatible without all the way installing and running them on the device? (Sorry don't know much about this stuff =)! )
Thank you very much in advance
I rooted ME103K on my own - by compiling a custom kernel
Executive summary: Go to youtube and watch video with ID "gqubgQjqfHw" (I can't post links yet, sorry! ) - or search Youtube for "Rooting MemoPAD10 (ME103K) with my custom compiled kernel"
Analysis:
I hated the fact that my recently purchased MemoPAD10 (ME103K) tablet had no open process to allow me to become root. I don't trust the closed-source one-click root apps that use various exploits, and require communicating with servers in.... China. Why would they need to do that? I wonder...
I therefore decided this was a good opportunity for me to study the relevant documentation and follow the steps necessary to build an Android kernel for my tablet. I then packaged my custom-compiled kernel into my custom boot image, and the video shows how I boot from it and become root in the process.
Note that I didn't burn anything in my tablet - it's a 'tethered' root, it has no side-effects.
If you are a developer, you can read in detail about the steps I had to take to modify the kernel (and su.c) and become root - by reading the questions (and answers!) that I posted in the Android StackExchange forum ( can't post links yet, see the video description in Youtube ).
If you are not a developer, you can download my custom boot image from the link below - but note that this means you are trusting me to not do evil things to your tablet as my kernel boots and my /sbin/su is run
Honestly, I haven't done anything weird - I just wanted to run a debootstrapped Debian in my tablet, and succeeded in doing so. But I am also worried about the cavalier attitude I see on the web about rooting your devices - if you want to be truly safe, you must either do what I did (and recompile the kernel yourself) or absolutely trust the person that gives it to you. I do wish Google had forced a UI-accessible "become root" option in Android, just as Cyanogen does (sigh).
The image I created and used in the video to boot in rooted mode, is available from the link show in the Youtube video details.
Enjoy!
ttsiodras said:
Executive summary: Go to youtube and watch video with ID "gqubgQjqfHw" (I can't post links yet, sorry! ) - or search Youtube for "Rooting MemoPAD10 (ME103K) with my custom compiled kernel"
Analysis:
I hated the fact that my recently purchased MemoPAD10 (ME103K) tablet had no open process to allow me to become root. I don't trust the closed-source one-click root apps that use various exploits, and require communicating with servers in.... China. Why would they need to do that? I wonder...
I therefore decided this was a good opportunity for me to study the relevant documentation and follow the steps necessary to build an Android kernel for my tablet. I then packaged my custom-compiled kernel into my custom boot image, and the video shows how I boot from it and become root in the process.
Note that I didn't burn anything in my tablet - it's a 'tethered' root, it has no side-effects.
If you are a developer, you can read in detail about the steps I had to take to modify the kernel (and su.c) and become root - by reading the questions (and answers!) that I posted in the Android StackExchange forum ( can't post links yet, see the video description in Youtube ).
If you are not a developer, you can download my custom boot image from the link below - but note that this means you are trusting me to not do evil things to your tablet as my kernel boots and my /sbin/su is run
Honestly, I haven't done anything - I just wanted to run a deboot-strapped Debian in my tablet. But I am also worried about the cavalier attitude I see on the web about rooting your devices - if you want to be truly safe, you must either do what I did (and recompile the kernel yourself) or absolutely trust the person that gives it to you. I do wish Google had forced a UI-accessible "become root" option in Android, just as Cyanogen does (sigh).
The image I created and used in the video to boot in rooted mode, is available from the link show in the Youtube video details.
Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello ttsiodras,
I had the same problem as OP and didn't want to go the "chinese route" either, especially since there seem to be conflicting reports on whether it works on the ME103k or not so I tried your solution - with mixed results...
Disclaimer: I'm totally new to Android (colour me unpleasantly surprised) and have little experience in Linux, so for further reference I would consider myself an advanced noob. Please keep this in mind when evaluating my claims or judging what I have done so far or am capable of doing by myself in the future.
What I did:
- become developer in the ME103k by tapping the system build repeatedly, then allowing debugging via USB
- use ADB to boot into the bootloader
- use fastboot to boot your boot.rooted.img
What happened:
- I did get root access
- the tab now always boots into the bootloader, even when told via ADB or fastboot to boot normally or into recovery. Pushing buttons etc doesn't seem to work either
- my attempts to do a recovery via the vanilla Asus method has failed due to the same fact that boot never gets past fastboot
Since you claimed in your description that there would be no side-effects since it is a tethered root I am somewhat puzzled as to what exactly happened. From what I understand - which admittedly isn't a lot - what should have happened is that your boot image is loaded, giving me root access until the next reboot without changing anything about the default boot process or image. I read somewhere else that this is how people test out different kernels with fastboot before deciding on which one they want to use on their devices. The whole boot process being changed and corrupted in a way that makes the tablet non-rebootable without having the cable and an adb- and fastboot-capable machine nearby is not really what I would have expected going by your description.
Of course it is entirely possible (and probably even rather likely) that I got something wrong along the way or there is a simple fix to my problem I am not aware of.
As for possible steps maybe you or someone else in the forum could point me to a way to return my tablet to factory settings before risking damaging it beyond repair. I'm assuming that it should be possible and rather straightforward to recover the original setup with the firmware provided by Asus (downloaded the newest version from the homepage) but to be honest I'm a bit scared to go ahead with it before knowing for sure how to do this safely.
One thing seems certain: I won't be able to do it the way Asus says I should unless I can somehow get into normal or recovery boot modes again. I do however still have root access and am able to run fastboot and ADB including shell on the tablet, so it should be possible.
I would certainly appreciate any help very much
Thanks
drsiegberterne said:
. . . From what I understand - which admittedly isn't a lot - what should have happened is that your boot image is loaded, giving me root access until the next reboot without changing anything about the default boot process or image. I read somewhere else that this is how people test out different kernels with fastboot before deciding on which one they want to use on their devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your understanding is correct - that's exactly what should have happened.
I can assure you that the kernel I compiled is formed from the Asus sources with the 2 patches I made that have *nothing* to do with the bootloader - they patch the way that the kernel allows dropping privileges and thus allowing root level access.
Something else must have happened - did you by any chance "burn" the image? i.e. `(DONT DO THIS) fastboot flash boot boot.rooted.img` instead of `fastboot boot boot.rooted.img`?
I did not advocate for burning precisely because it is unpredictable - manufactures sometimes require signing images with their private keys before allowing a boot image to boot (AKA "locked bootloaders") which means that any attempt to burn may lead to weird configurations. . .
If you did burn it, maybe you can try burning the original "boot.img" from the Asus OTA (Over the Air) update .zip file (avaible as a big download at the ASUS site - "UL-K01E-WW-12.16.1.12-user.zip" )
I know of no way to help you with the current state of your tablet, except to "ease the pain" by saying that rebooting to fastboot is always "recoverable" - you can always boot into my own (rooted) kernel or the original (from the ASUS .zip file) with `fastboot boot <whatever_image>`. No "harm" can happen from this - as you correctly said, it's the way to try new kernels and images.
UPDATE - after more reverse engineering:
I had a look into the contents of the boot loader running inside the ME103K, and I am pretty sure that if you execute this at fastboot...
# fastboot oem reset-dev_info
# fastboot reboot
... you will get back to normal, un-tethered bootings of your ME103K.
Thanassis.
ttsiodras said:
Your understanding is correct - that's exactly what should have happened.
I can assure you that the kernel I compiled is formed from the Asus sources with the 2 patches I made that have *nothing* to do with the bootloader - they patch the way that the kernel allows dropping privileges and thus allowing root level access.
Something else must have happened - did you by any chance "burn" the image? i.e. `(DONT DO THIS) fastboot flash boot boot.rooted.img` instead of `fastboot boot boot.rooted.img`?
I did not advocate for burning precisely because it is unpredictable - manufactures sometimes require signing images with their private keys before allowing a boot image to boot (AKA "locked bootloaders") which means that any attempt to burn may lead to weird configurations. . .
If you did burn it, maybe you can try burning the original "boot.img" from the Asus OTA (Over the Air) update .zip file (avaible as a big download at the ASUS site - "UL-K01E-WW-12.16.1.12-user.zip" )
I know of no way to help you with the current state of your tablet, except to "ease the pain" by saying that rebooting to fastboot is always "recoverable" - you can always boot into my own (rooted) kernel or the original (from the ASUS .zip file) with `fastboot boot <whatever_image>`. No "harm" can happen from this - as you correctly said, it's the way to try new kernels and images.
Thanassis.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Thanassis,
thanks for your quick reply and your efforts. I'm actually around 85% sure I did not flash the image but since I had no Linux on my computer at the time (I know shame on me) I used a Mac and the command line was a bit different. Since I had never used ADB or fastboot I relied on some guide that explained how to even get into the bootloader and might have gotten something wrong.
On the other hand I later read out the commands I used in the Mac shell and couldn't find anything other than the things I should have done and described earlier, so as far as I can tell this all should never have happened. It may be interesting to point out here that the "stuck in fastboot" mode happened immediately after the first time I loaded your kernel and I most definitely just wrote fastboot boot boot.rooted.img at that point.
As for fixing the problem now it's not only about the inconvenience of the whole thing. I also later (after I was already stuck in fastboot mode) installed some apps for helping me manage privileges of different apps (xposed framework and xprivacy) which turned out to not be compatible in some way or another. So now not only is my tablet not booteable in a normal way but its also cluttered with even more useless stuff than before and I would really like to just reset it before thinking about any other possibilities.
If I flash boot the original ASUS boot image found in the file you described and which i dowloaded already, shouldn't that fix the problem if I accidentally did flash your boot image? Or will there be even more trouble?
Alternatively isn't there a manual way to flash the whole zipped recovery image or am I misunderstanding what this ASUS file actually contains?
And which of the two options is safer to try first or in other words - which one might break the tablet once and for all?
Thanks again and sorry for my incompetence
drsiegberterne said:
Hi Thanassis,
If I flash boot the original ASUS boot image found in the file you described and which i dowloaded already, shouldn't that fix the problem if I accidentally did flash your boot image? Or will there be even more trouble?
. . .
Alternatively isn't there a manual way to flash the whole zipped recovery image or am I misunderstanding what this ASUS file actually contains?
. . .
Thanks again and sorry for my incompetence
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, don't be sorry We are all either choosing to learn in this world (i.e. make mistakes and learn from them), or choose to remain stuck in ignorance. I applaud your efforts in properly rooting the tablet. . .
To the point - remember, you are root now ; whatever apps you installed, you can definitely uninstall them. You don't necessarily need to wipe it.
If you do want to, I'd suggest booting in recovery and doing it the normal way that Asus recommends. Since you said "buttons don't work", you may want to try using the original recovery .img - i.e. "fastboot boot recovery.img". I'd love to suggest a link from ASUS, but they don't host it (which is bad - they really should) - so instead go to "goo" dot "gl" slash "noegkY" - this will point you to a discussion where a kind soul is sharing his ME103K recovery.img.
Booting from the recovery will allow you to install the ASUS OTA update - and probably try cleaning cache partition, etc
Good luck!
ttsiodras said:
No, don't be sorry We are all either choosing to learn in this world (i.e. make mistakes and learn from them), or choose to remain stuck in ignorance. I applaud your efforts in properly rooting the tablet. . .
To the point - remember, you are root now ; whatever apps you installed, you can definitely uninstall them. You don't necessarily need to wipe it.
If you do want to, I'd suggest booting in recovery and doing it the normal way that Asus recommends. Since you said "buttons don't work", you may want to try using the original recovery .img - i.e. "fastboot boot recovery.img". I'd love to suggest a link from ASUS, but they don't host it (which is bad - they really should) - so instead go to "goo" dot "gl" slash "noegkY" - this will point you to a discussion where a kind soul is sharing his ME103K recovery.img.
Booting from the recovery will allow you to install the ASUS OTA update - and probably try cleaning cache partition, etc
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem here is that he doesn't seem to have the same version as on my tablet. I have the newest version with Lollipop while this seems to be at least a couple of patches earlier with a completely different version of Android. Won't I risk breaking things even more if I try to apply this - as in trying to recover a recovery that is not on my tablet since certainly the recovery.img doesn't contain all the information needed since it's only 10 MB.
As you can probably guess the whole discussion in your link about what part of the system is broken and how to fix it goes right over my head. It also seems like they did not find a satisfactory solution in the end (short of sending the tablet to ASUS). As you can imagine I'm at quite a loss what to try and what not out of fear to make things worse. At least for now I can still use the tablet to do the things I need it to do.
Thanks for your help anyway, I will try to read up more on the topic and decide what to do next.
drsiegberterne said:
The problem here is that he doesn't seem to have the same version as on my tablet. I have the newest version with Lollipop while this seems to be at least a couple of patches earlier with a completely different version of Android. Won't I risk breaking things even more if I try to apply this - as in trying to recover a recovery that is not on my tablet since certainly the recovery.img doesn't contain all the information needed since it's only 10 MB.
Thanks for your help anyway, I will try to read up more on the topic and decide what to do next.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand how you feel - your tablet is operational now (OK, with the annoyance that you need to boot it in "tethered mode") - so you rightfully fear that you may mess things up with further steps.
Just to clarify something - the recovery img is something that works on its own ; it has no dependency on what kind of Android image is installed in the /system partition.
If you do decide to do it, "fastboot boot recovery.img" will bring you to a spartan menu, showing options that allow you to apply an update (i.e. the ASUS update you downloaded!), clean the /cache partition, etc.
Choose "install update from SD card" (use volume up/down to choose, power btn to select), and navigate to your SD card, where you will have placed the big .zip file from ASUS.
The recovery process will begin, and your tablet will be "wiped" with the image from ASUS. Reboot, and be patient while the tablet boots up - it will be just like the first time you started it (i.e. install from scratch).
Whatever you decide - good luck!
ttsiodras said:
I understand how you feel - your tablet is operational now (OK, with the annoyance that you need to boot it in "tethered mode") - so you rightfully fear that you may mess things up with further steps.
Just to clarify something - the recovery img is something that works on its own ; it has no dependency on what kind of Android image is installed in the /system partition.
If you do decide to do it, "fastboot boot recovery.img" will bring you to a spartan menu, showing options that allow you to apply an update (i.e. the ASUS update you downloaded!), clean the /cache partition, etc.
Choose "install update from SD card" (use volume up/down to choose, power btn to select), and navigate to your SD card, where you will have placed the big .zip file from ASUS.
The recovery process will begin, and your tablet will be "wiped" with the image from ASUS. Reboot, and be patient while the tablet boots up - it will be just like the first time you started it (i.e. install from scratch).
Whatever you decide - good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, a little update from the battlefront:
I tried the recovery image and did get into the menu, however the recovery failed with the same two error messages as in your earlier link ("footer is wrong" and "signature verification failed"). My output from fastboot getvar all is also very similar to the one from that guy except I have a different bootloader version than him (3.03).
Another thing I noticed is that if I boot the standard boot.img found in the ASUS zip it will recognize the internal sdcard normally, however when I boot your rooted image the internal memory doesn't seem to be recognized, at least not through the pre-installed file manager. Downloading a file to the internal storage also failed while rooted but all the apps and the OS itself so far seem totally unaffected otherwise.
My last resort at the moment is the fastboot flash boot boot.img but I have little hope it would change anything since in the thread you linked they proposed just that and if it had worked they probably would have mentioned it.
Can it theoretically break the tablet even more? I would hate to have to send it in because I completely bricked it...
drsiegberterne said:
Okay, a little update from the battlefront:
Another thing I noticed is that if I boot the standard boot.img found in the ASUS zip it will recognize the internal sdcard normally, however when I boot your rooted image the internal memory doesn't seem to be recognized.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the case for me - everything works fine (including internal and external sdcard), so it's definitely not my kernel causing this.
drsiegberterne said:
My last resort at the moment is the fastboot flash boot boot.img but I have little hope it would change anything since in the thread you linked they proposed just that and if it had worked they probably would have mentioned it.
Can it theoretically break the tablet even more? I would hate to have to send it in because I completely bricked it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing is always dangerous (from what you've said, I actually theorize that you did, actually, flash already...)
I doubt this will solve the boot issue, to be honest - if I were you, I'd continue to boot tethered (with my image when you need root access, and (maybe) the Asus image when you don't). Myself, I always boot my own bootimage, since I have zero problems with it, and it allows me to run a complete Debian distro in a chroot (thus making my tablet a full-blown UNIX server - e.g. I run privoxy on it to filter all stupid ads in all apps on the tablet, etc).
No matter what you decide, good luck!
Thanassis.
ttsiodras said:
Not the case for me - everything works fine (including internal and external sdcard), so it's definitely not my kernel causing this.
Flashing is always dangerous (from what you've said, I actually theorize that you did, actually, flash already...)
I doubt this will solve the boot issue, to be honest - if I were you, I'd continue to boot tethered (with my image when I need root access, and (maybe) the Asus image when I don't). Myself, I always boot my own bootimage, since I have zero problems with it, and it allows me to run a complete Debian distro in a chroot (thus making my tablet a full-blown UNIX server - e.g. I run privoxy on it to filter all stupid ads in all apps on the tablet, etc).
No matter what you decide, good luck!
Thanassis.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already tried to flash the original boot.img yesterday but it didn't change anything as you correctly assumed so I guess for now there is nothing more to do. I might write to the Asus support and maybe send the tablet in if it is free of charge for me (which I doubt). The only other option is to spend the next months to get sufficiently versed in Android to actually fix the problems myself but even for that I would probably need some files or source code from Asus. I find it rather disappointing the way these "closed" systems work nowadays, with the advancement of Linux and Open Source I really would have expected the opposite to be true but apparently people care more about convenience than actually being able to use the tools they buy in the way they want to.
Getting these Android devices like buying a hammer that can't hammer things in on Sundays.
drsiegberterne said:
I find it rather disappointing the way these "closed" systems work nowadays, with the advancement of Linux and Open Source I really would have expected the opposite to be true but apparently people care more about convenience than actually being able to use the tools they buy in the way they want to
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I share the sentiment - it's really sad.
Undoing the tethered root
drsiegberterne said:
I already tried to flash the original boot.img yesterday but it didn't change anything as you correctly assumed so I guess for now there is nothing more to do. I might write to the Asus support and maybe send the tablet in if it is free of charge for me (which I doubt). The only other option is to spend the next months to get sufficiently versed in Android to actually fix the problems myself but even for that I would probably need some files or source code from Asus. I find it rather disappointing the way these "closed" systems work nowadays, with the advancement of Linux and Open Source I really would have expected the opposite to be true but apparently people care more about convenience than actually being able to use the tools they buy in the way they want to.
Getting these Android devices like buying a hammer that can't hammer things in on Sundays.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi drsiegberterne - I had a look into the contents of the boot loader running inside the ME103K, and I am pretty sure that if you execute this at fastboot...
# fastboot oem reset-dev_info
# fastboot reboot
... you will get back to normal, un-tethered bootings of your ME103K.
Hope this solves your problem!
Kind regards,
Thanassis.
[Thread closed]
First of all I must admit, that i can't create a DevDB post instead (I don't have permissions, or something).
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Recently, i used Androxyde's Sony FlashTool, and I had an idea to create something like this, but for Samsung devices.
That's how Hackaye's Galaxy OStool was created.
It's based on VB.net and Heimdall CommandLine.
You may ask: Mate, but what the heck is it for? We have Odin and Heimdall Frontend!
Yeah, but can Odin and Heimdall download firmware for your device and install it with one click?
Do they have One-Click Root and TWRP installation options?
I guess not.
The app is currently available for Windows users, and requires latest .NET Framework installed.
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How to use the OStool:
Choose your device from the list (currently only Galaxy S5 SM-G900F but if the project gets some fame, i'll add more )
Then click what you want to do, you can choose Repair/Re-stock, Rooting with Chain Fire's AutoRoot, or installing TWRP.
After selecting, the program will download all the necessary files from my MediaFire account, and will notify you, that it's ready to flash.
You will be instructed how to go to download mode (the program is directed to begginers, so i had to add that), and will prompt you to install Zadig drivers, if needed.
Then after clicking the red "FLASH!!!" button, a CMD windows will appear with heimdall running, informing you about the installation progress.
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Some info about the project:
I am open to contribute with anyone that has knowlege about VB.net coding, i am also looking for better server to host files on, so please tell me if you know about one
Also, I couldn't test the program, cause my PC is autistic, and I can't install the necessary Zadig drivers, which ends with Libusbx error -12 (PLEASE HELP ME HOW TO FIX THIS!!!)
You should also know, that this version is only for testing the engine, the GUI will be TOTALLY redesigned.
If you want to contribute, download the SPECIAL Dev Pack from the link below. If you only want to test it, download a standard setup.
That's all from me,
Hackaye (WHY I CAN'T CHANGE MY NICK FROM EUKON TO HACKAYE?!!)
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Download Links:
OStool v0.1a Standard Setup: bit.ly/2LSRz9T
Dev Pack link (You need to have standard version installed first!!!): bit.ly/2O6jrVn
"NOST" - short for "No Service Tool" (or "Nokia Service Tool" but that sounds too official and boring ) is a small hobby project I've been working on in the last couple of days.
It aims to make the service tool for Nokia 8 (and HMD Phones in general) more useable, user-friendly, and straigtforward to use, and after having to test it myself, and also
making a small beta test in the Telegram group for Nokia 8, I feel like posting it here so others can try it out too if they want.
First, to be clear: NOST is not completely my work. It is based on OST LA 6.0.4, which was made by HMD/Foxconn. Unlike the previous OST Patches, NOST does not replace
the executable with a hacked one, but instead wraps it and patches the methods that need patching at runtime. The result is that the changes are completely opensource
and readable by others, while the underlying OST files are not modified at all. I tried to base it on a different (i.e. newer) version of OST, but those are pretty much unpatchable,
at least not with a serious amount of reverse engineering, which brings not only time issues but legal ones as well.
NOST changes a couple of things, compared to the unmodified OST LA:
It removes the need for authentification against HMD/FIH servers (really, shoutout to the one who made the original hack, even though I could not use their code)
Moved the logs folder to the same folder as the application, as opposed to somewhere on the system to make debugging easier
The options for flashing firmware images appear reliable now. (At least for me they only appeared sometimes if not never on the original OST).
Removed one of the options that if it appeared crashed the flashing process ("Check System AP Status")
One user of the Telegram group had issues where OST would crash because it detects an invalid locale setting in Windows. NOST just catches that issue and defaults to english
Removed the "Edit Phone Information" button. It never worked and it's only purpose was to make the "Next" button appear, which works like it should now as well.
NOST refuses to flash your phone if your bootloader isn't unlocked critically. The old OST would just try to flash but never make any progress which confuses inexperienced users.
Perhaps the most important change: NOST allows to flash modified firmware images without the need to extract and modify them by hand.
With the original OST, people who wanted to reflash their phone had to download a firmware bundle, extract and edit it to be able to use it with OST LA 6.0.4, since the newer versions
had unpatchable issues that prevent using them. Repacking the images in a format OST expects wasn't possible either since that enabled some sort of signature algorithm on the modified
images and caused the flashing to fail. NOST solves this problem by allowing the use of a different packaging format. Those binaries still need to be extracted but it is done transparently in
the background without the user having to download any other tools. The formats that can be used in images are .zip and .qlz
.zip Firmwares:
.zip firmware files are simply archives of the (edited) files that would normally be extracted from an .nb0 file. This means, if you extract a .nb0 with the extractor found on XDA, the contents
of the *_unpacked folder it creates should be the contents of your .zip.
.qlz Firmwares:
.qlz files are based on QuickLZ compression, which gives them a small size but also a low decompression time.
The tool to generate them is called exdupe. Generating these images is pretty straigtforward. Assuming you are on windows, download the exdupe
tool from the link above (or take it from the NOST Tools/ folder) and copy it into the folder that contains the unpacked .nb0.
Code:
- exdupe.exe
- <nb0 name>_unpacked/
- <nb0 name>.mlf
- ....
Open a commandline in that folder, and run the following command:
Code:
exdupe.exe <name of the folder to compress> <name of the firmware file>.qlz
You should already see how fast it compresses the firmware folder now. As a reference: Compressing the latest Nokia 8 firmware (about 4GB) takes maybe 30 seconds and yields a 2GB file.
Repacked Firmware Bundles:
I created .qlz images of the May and November firmwares, as well as one of the various Pie Maintainance Releases.
You can find them here: https://tmsp.io/fs/xda/nb1/firmware
I already successfully reverted from December Security Patch to November using NOST, and then updated back using OTA Sideloading without problems.
As always when working with flashing tools, proceed with caution!
How to unlock to critical:
KonikoO said:
For those who wonder how to unlock into critical state :
Reboot into bootloader download mode and execute those commands :
fastboot flash unlock *unlock .bin*
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
Afterwards you should be able to flash provided .qlz with NOST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download:
The actual tool: https://github.com/StollD/NOST/releases
Drivers: https://github.com/StollD/nokia-driver-installer/tree/master/out
Source Code: https://github.com/StollD/NOST
License:
OST LA 6.0.4 is copyrighted by the respective authors. It is not modified permanently.
The custom NOST code is licensed under the GNU General Public License.
Icon by Freepik © Flaticon
I tried this is working,nice tool.
Thanks dev.
Thank you THMSP! very cool?
Sent from my TA-1004 using XDA Labs
Can flash the May and November update but cannot flash latest Pie with this tool. I flashed Pie but returned back to November update?
Lee Castro said:
Can flash the May and November update but cannot flash latest Pie with this tool. I flashed Pie but returned back to November update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can revert back from Pie to Oreo using this. What is the issue with Pie for you?
THMSP said:
Yes, you can revert back from Pie to Oreo using this. What is the issue with Pie for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I mean is if I flash the Pie file you provided I just returned back to Android 8.1 Novemeber update no changes at all. Maybe there something wrong with the Pie file you uploaded. But the rests are all working fine with the tool.
Lee Castro said:
What I mean is if I flash the Pie file you provided I just returned back to Android 8.1 Novemeber update no changes at all. Maybe there something wrong with the Pie file you uploaded. But the rests are all working fine with the tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the hint, I will take a look. Probably just derped when pulling partitions and renaming the images (might have worked in my November folder by accident).
EDIT: I repulled the images from Pie (I indeed somehow worked in my November folder when making the image), repackaged them and updated the version in the drive folder. You should now be able to flash Pie. Sorry for the mistake.
THMSP said:
Thanks for the hint, I will take a look. Probably just derped when pulling partitions and renaming the images (might have worked in my November folder by accident).
EDIT: I repulled the images from Pie (I indeed somehow worked in my November folder when making the image), repackaged them and updated the version in the drive folder. You should now be able to flash Pie. Sorry for the mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again,This is really a big help.
Wow, this is something we've been all seeking for a long time now ! For those who wonder how to unlock into critical state :
Reboot into bootloader download mode and execute those commands :
fastboot flash unlock *unlock .bin*
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
Afterwards you should be able to flash provided .qlz with NOST.
hey there! wonderful tool to have. Thank u so much
Not working in my laptop say a software need a to update
Blackhacker07 said:
Not working in my laptop say a software need a to update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have dependency issues I would suggest to install OST LA 6.0.4 first, so you get its dependencies, until I can make a proper installer for NOST.
THMSP said:
If you have dependency issues I would suggest to install OST LA 6.0.4 first, so you get its dependencies, until I can make a proper installer for NOST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you perhaps figure out how to get rid of the unlocked bootloader message?
ironman38102 said:
Could you perhaps figure out how to get rid of the unlocked bootloader message?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about the error message that appears when you press the Next button to start flashing?
If yes, your bootloader needs to be unlocked to critical, then the message won't appear.
If you are unsure if your bootloader is unlocked to critical, do "fastboot oem device-info", it will tell you.
If you mean the message that your phone displays when booting with an unlocked bootloader then sorry, I doubt that's possible (I think it is embedded into the bootloader).
THMSP said:
Are you talking about the error message that appears when you press the Next button to start flashing?
If yes, your bootloader needs to be unlocked to critical, then the message won't appear.
If you are unsure if your bootloader is unlocked to critical, do "fastboot oem device-info", it will tell you.
If you mean the message that your phone displays when booting with an unlocked bootloader then sorry, I doubt that's possible (I think it is embedded into the bootloader).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually its in splash.img that can be dumped. Its the hex editing possibly that might be a problem for someone not familiar with it
How to flash it's says this...
Blackhacker07 said:
How to flash it's says this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean?
KonikoO said:
Wow, this is something we've been all seeking for a long time now ! For those who wonder how to unlock into critical state :
Reboot into bootloader download mode and execute those commands :
fastboot flash unlock *unlock .bin*
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
Afterwards you should be able to flash provided .qlz with NOST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for this advice. I wouldn't have ever figured out how to unlock critical on my own and that was the thing that was preventing me from flashing. I tried searching the other OST LA flashing threads as well but this info seemed to have been missing, or then i completely missed it. Thank you so much anyways. If anybody else is trying to figure out why their OST LA or NOST is giving them the se_err_adb_cmd_get_fail_result error, this should help. I just used the unlock.key in place of the *unlock.bin* in your command and it worked.
Can you please upload Oreo December update stock and patched boot image. TIA
Yesterday I noticed that my Pie Image was still not quite useable, since it contained a corrupted system partition.
This seems to have happened because of my Magisk Setup and me only replacing the boot partition image and not uninstalling Magisk completely.
I rebuilt the image, to be fully stock, and also included the latest B07 update that @hikari_calyx uploaded yesterday. You can get it from the drive link in the OP.
I using my Poco F3 since a few month with lineageOS and I'm quite happy. The only problem: Wify and mobile data. Most of the time there is an exclamation mark in the topline on the icons for wify and mobile data.
I tried all the normal stuff:
– reboot the mobile phone (which sometimes really works)
– reboot thr router
– check the settings
– swap the sim cards (because sometimes I was only able to call somebody with one of the sim cards
With the last update of lineageOS it seems that the sim cards work again properly for calls, but not for mobile data.
Despite the exclamation marks surfing und emails works fine. I just can't synchronise my calendar via DAVdroid.
Any hint is appreciated.
are you using the recommended firmware version?
i had some issues with sounds with newer firmware versions
Good question.
I didn't change the firmware. How can I check, which version is runing on my device?
Idk how you'd check the firmware version but you could install the latest firmware for your region regardless.
Or if LineageOS recommends a specific FW version, install that instead.
Xiaomifirmware.com is one place where you can find official MIUI ROM versions and Firmware (/vendor).
You can just install it in Recovery, install itself takes a couple of seconds since Firmware is around 100 MB.
Isn't there an official site to download the firmware?
RunnersHai said:
Isn't there an official site to download the firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xiaomifirmwareupdater.com is a reputable source for official Xiaomi FW and ROMs.
Xiaomi do have a website where you can DL ROMs but it's bad.
Perfect, thx a lot. I will try,if it works. Keep fingers crossed ;-D
Sorry, I don't get any further. I only find complete Roms with 3.1 GB and more. But not a vendor with the code POCO F3 Global - V13.0.3.0.SKHMIXM as mentioned on the website of Lineageos.org (https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/alioth/fw_update). Even the direct link downloads a complete Rom.
And can I install the vendor with my linux computer or should I switch windows and the mi-tool as mentioned on some websites?
Thanks for your help.
Okay, I'm a little bit further. As far as I understood it. I download the whole Rom but install just a few parts via adb. Following the instructions here: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/alioth/fw_update
I should install the payload-dumper-go to unpack the zip-file of the ROM. But I don't know how to start the programm
I downloaded it from github for Linux, but I don't know how to get any further.
RunnersHai said:
Okay, I'm a little bit further. As far as I understood it. I download the whole Rom but install just a few parts via adb. Following the instructions here: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/alioth/fw_update
I should install the payload-dumper-go to unpack the zip-file of the ROM. But I don't know how to start the programm
I downloaded it from github for Linux, but I don't know how to get any further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. I checked out that website and those links are indeed full Recovery MIUI ROMs, not just firmware.
Those instructions show you how to manually flash just the firmware from a ROM.zip
However, you don't need to do that. Here is a link to just the firmware for that exact ROM:
Xiaomi Firmware Updater
The ultimate script that provides firmware packages for Xiaomi devices.
xiaomifirmwareupdater.com
v13.0.3 seems rather old to me, but if it's their recommendation, then I guess go ahead. After all you simply want these problems to go away.
How to flash:
Simply boot into Recovery and do ADB Sideload
"adb sideload firmware.zip"
If you want to use the Payload Dumper anyway:
In your Linux Machine, open the Payload Dumper folder,
right-click an empty space in the folder, click "Open in Terminal",
type "payload-dumper-go -o . " and drag & drop the MIUI_ROM.zip into the Terminal (this will autofill the path to that ROM),
Hit Enter.
Then, open the created folder where all the extracted partition-images are. Open that folder in Terminal, and do the fastboot commands listed on the LineageOS-website that you linked to me.
Great thanks a lot for your help. New stuff to learn – that's great.
Unfortunately I figured out that the reason for the problems could be a wrong setting in my AFWall+. I will double check that and if it's not the reason, I will follow your instructions. Thanks a lot for your work – awesome.
heres the firmware archive,no need for full rom and fastboot commands
Xiaomi Firmware Updater
The ultimate script that provides firmware packages for Xiaomi devices.
xiaomifirmwareupdater.com