[HOWTO] Linux on Folio 100 - Folio 100 General

[HOWTO] Linux on Folio 100 - Folio 100 General

Hello,
I have prepared a few update.zip's with kernels to boot linux:
There are two different zips.
One to boot linux from a USB Flashdrive and the other from a SD card.
Installation Instructions:
ALWAYS HAVE CHARGER CONNECTED WHEN UPDATING A FIRMWARE.
1. Please follow the instructions here to prepare your SD / USB Drive - start at "== Create a rootfs SD card ==". http://ac100.gudinna.com/README/
2. Extract contents to a folder and follow instructions below.
copy the update.zip to a sdcard, and insert sdcard into folio.
Enter "Recovery menu" when folio is just turned on and press (POWER) once and (VOL up) next.
press (VOL up) Factory reset or system update.
press(VOL down) to continue to system update.
press (VOL up) to confirm system update.
during installation progress bar will show har far it is.
folio will reboot after installation.
insert the usb or flashdrive with the prepared filesystem into the folio and the tablet will boot automaticly from it

This sounds very interesting, might give it a try when im done playing with my new folio, ubuntu on it would be awesome

Does it boot to a full Ubuntu desktop or a bash prompt?

key combination to boot ubuntu
DerArtem said:
Hello,
I have prepared a few update.zip's with kernels to boot linux:
Please follow the instructions here to prepare your SD / USB Drive - start at "== Create a rootfs SD card ==".
Unzip the zip and then use the zip inside to update your kernel.
There are two different zips.
One to boot linux from a USB Flashdrive and the other from a SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi DerArtem,
once the media (SD) is setup, you need special key combo in order to let folio boot from the SD? thanks in advance.

zoken4 said:
Does it boot to a full Ubuntu desktop or a bash prompt?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you have put on your sd / usb flash.
Ivalex said:
Hi DerArtem,
once the media (SD) is setup, you need special key combo in order to let folio boot from the SD? thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have updated the 1st post.

DerArtem said:
It depends on what you have put on your sd / usb flash.
I have updated the 1st post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gorgeous!
got it, the first step, is exactly the same as uploading a mod. then the SD modified as per gudinna instr. will bring you to linux.
thanks again.

how fast/responsive is this? Can you benchmark it against the AC100 netbook running the same image - that had a noticeable lag at least on SD card access.

How prepare the SD?
Thank you for your work!!!
I did all the process but I can't start linux.
The kernel boots but stop without start the desktop.
You can see when stops in this image:
ifisc.uib-csic.es/~edu/fotos_folio100/1.jpg
(Put the http:..., I can't put links because the system)
I prepared the filesystem in a SD card only decompressing the tar.gz, ¿Is necessary recompile the kernel or something like configure it?
Shark.

Shark17 said:
Thank you for your work!!!
I did all the process but I can't start linux.
The kernel boots but stop without start the desktop.
You can see when stops in this image:
ifisc.uib-csic.es/~edu/fotos_folio100/1.jpg
(Put the http:..., I can't put links because the system)
I prepared the filesystem in a SD card only decompressing the tar.gz, ¿Is necessary recompile the kernel or something like configure it?
Shark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not tested it using a SD-Card. I will try it out when I have some time...

I met the same problem : stuck at the "no console found" point, and this either with an sd-card or a usb key. I also tried wolfx's method (boot via fastboot), and had the same problem.
To me, it seems that this must come from the system we put on the sdcard/usb key.
DerArtem : could you tell us what distro you put on your usb-key ? (and maybe even with links for download ?)
Regards,
eRaph

USB tried
I tried with the USB and had the same problem.
To me, it seems that this must come from the system we put on the sdcard/usb key.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm agree with your opinion.
I confirm that the method is not agressive for the tablet, restore android works for me.

Actually, I just found what the problem was : on the image I uncompressed on the usb key (tegra-rootfs.tgz), the /dev directory was empty, and lacked a console and a null entry (see h**p://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28550)
The folowing command solved the problem (to do on your sdcard/usbkey) :
cd dev
mknod -m 660 console c 5 1
mknod -m 660 null c 1 3

Hi,
eraph2 said:
I met the same problem : stuck at the "no console found" point, and this either with an sd-card or a usb key. I also tried wolfx's method (boot via fastboot), and had the same problem.
To me, it seems that this must come from the system we put on the sdcard/usb key.
DerArtem : could you tell us what distro you put on your usb-key ? (and maybe even with links for download ?)
Regards,
eRaph
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used gentoo linux on a usb flash:
http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/tegra2/install.xml
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-arm.xml

eraph2 said:
Actually, I just found what the problem was : on the image I uncompressed on the usb key (tegra-rootfs.tgz), the /dev directory was empty, and lacked a console and a null entry (see h**p://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28550)
The folowing command solved the problem (to do on your sdcard/usbkey) :
cd dev
mknod -m 660 console c 5 1
mknod -m 660 null c 1 3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this files exists in the gentoo in the .tgz ....
I think that ubuntu might require a initrd...

And ubuntu works?
Can you start ubuntu fixing this?

Console
Creating the console in the dev..., ¿are you started ubuntu?

I successfully managed to boot the ac100 ubuntu image (tegra-rootfs.tgz) copied on my sdcard. X started well, and hooking a keyboard, I managed to create a user, edit his password, ...
Nevertheless, I did not manage yet to make both a keyboard and a mouse work at the same time (the usb hub does not seem to work), and unpluggin/replugging the keyboard did not work either.
So, the ac100 ubuntu image works somewhat (in text mode via ALT-F1, i managed to get root access), but seems to lack some hardware support (which is quite normal).
The first problem is probably that the boot.img I used was the one DerArtem provided with his modified sdmmc-update.zip archive, which contains a 2.6.32 kernel, whereas the ubuntu image uses a 2.6.29-ac100 kernel, hence no modules get loaded. I should find how to rebuild a boot.img with the good kernel (or better : add the good modules to the ubuntu image).
DerArtem : may I ask you how you did rebuild the boot.img in your various packages ?
Regards,
eRaph

eraph2 said:
I successfully managed to boot the ac100 ubuntu image (tegra-rootfs.tgz) copied on my sdcard. X started well, and hooking a keyboard, I managed to create a user, edit his password, ...
Nevertheless, I did not manage yet to make both a keyboard and a mouse work at the same time (the usb hub does not seem to work), and unpluggin/replugging the keyboard did not work either.
So, the ac100 ubuntu image works somewhat (in text mode via ALT-F1, i managed to get root access), but seems to lack some hardware support (which is quite normal).
The first problem is probably that the boot.img I used was the one DerArtem provided with his modified sdmmc-update.zip archive, which contains a 2.6.32 kernel, whereas the ubuntu image uses a 2.6.29-ac100 kernel, hence no modules get loaded. I should find how to rebuild a boot.img with the good kernel (or better : add the good modules to the ubuntu image).
DerArtem : may I ask you how you did rebuild the boot.img in your various packages ?
Regards,
eRaph
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
please search on the web how to rebuild the boot.img. This is not a problem. My zip also contains the config to rebuild the kernel. The sources of the kernel are also documented in the readme inside the zip. The initrd is just empty.
But running ubunu on the folio might be a bad idea. Ubuntu is compiled for NEON instruction set, but the Tegra 2 CPU does not support this, so a lot of applications can crash when they will try to execute more advanced code....
Debian (optimized for ARMv6 without NEON) or Gentoo are better for the Folio.

Then, if I want to install gentoo instead ubuntu, do I have to follow the same steps but changing the distro linux for the gentoo? Or is it necessary to do anything else?
Thanks

I tried to install gentoo in a USB, but it's a long process and it's not usual for me.
I'm very lost!
halu:
If you obtain a opetative distro image, can you upload in any place?
I'm thinking in write a howto with the results.
Bests
(Saludos desde Mallorca!! )

Related

[UnBrick]TOTAL WIPE and reflash back to 1.4.0 via Ubuntu Recovery --Now Easier!!!!

This post can unbrick any Nook Tablet as long as there is no hardware damage.
Introduction
Some of you might know that I've been working on getting Ubuntu 11.10 running on the Nook Tablet. Why Ubuntu 11.10? It's optimized for touchscreen. My work with Ubuntu is not totally ready yet. The touchscreen is totally wonkey and unusable for touch input.
...Well, without a 3.0 kernel tailored to our device, Ubuntu is quite unusable as a Graphical User Interface. I've tried to compile a few times without any real results to report. The best results I've come across use a 2.6 kernel based on the kernel used for our device by Android. Anyway, if anyone can help get us a operational 3.0, 3.2+ kernel with full support for our device, I can get Ubuntu running.
However, all is not lost. Ubuntu DOES boot on a 2.6 kernel and it WILL perform most tasks that do not require special device control, like wiping the disk and reflashing. I've come up with a total wipe and restore program for SDCard based on ubuntu.
So, as a result of my work, I would like to present the first ever Ubuntu Recovery. This will totally wipe your device. With the exception of the ROM Partition which contains serial information, every single partition will have zeros written to it then flashed with just enough to perform an initial factory reflash. Normally when you perform an update or flash of a device, it is simply formatted. A formatted device can be unformatted. A zeroed device cannot be unformatted. All information is overwritten with zeros.
This will also work if you've damaged the bootloaders or recovery partition.
how to create your own bootable Ubuntu Recovery SDCard
You will need:
A Class 4 SDCard with at least 4Gigs of space
6 gigs of free space (for downloading sdcard image and uncompressing)
The SDCard Image: http://ge.tt/9rVFXxC?c
Linux/Mac Instructions
Open a terminal in Ubuntu by typing "terminal" in the search bar then hit enter
uncompress the Downloaded SDCard Image
Code:
cd ~/Downloads
tar -xvwzf ./AdamOutlerUbuntuTotalReFlash.tar.gz
With the SDCard or reader removed from the computer, get a list of all disks
Code:
ls /dev/sd?
Insert your sdcard or usb sdcard reader, then press the up key and enter to repeat the last command. The new device will show up as sdb, sdc, sdd or sde. each new device gets a higher letter. Note this newly plugged in device.(ie. /dev/sdc)
Use the following command to make your new SDCard, where "sdc" is the name of your SDCard device.
Code:
sudo dd if=./AdamOutlerUbuntuTotalReFlash of=/dev/sdc bs=4096; sync
Wait 5-20 minutes (depending on SDCard speed) until the image burning completes.
Shove it in your nook and turn it on by inserting the USB cable(do touch the power button, just insert the usb cable). Your nook will boot Ubuntu and perform a total factory restore. The process will take 15 minutes to complete with a Class4 micro SDcard.
Pro-tip: to copy and paste easily in Ubuntu, highlight text in the browser, then press the middle mouse button on the terminal.
Pro-tip: The tab key will auto-complete filenames.
Windows Instructions
Thanks to cyberma007 for Windows instructions.
Extract AdamOutlerUbuntuRecoveryImage with Winrar
Rename the resulting file to Add the .img extension to the filename
Download and open Win32 Disk Imager. note: The open source project can be found here: https://launchpad.net/win32-image-writer
Choose the drive letter of your SD Card from Win32 Disk Imager
Click the Write button
Turn of your nook and put in the SD Card and turn it back on.
Your Microsoft®™ Windows©®℠ computer sucks at reading anything except Microsoft formats. It cannot read the Open Source Linux EXT4 format. You will only see one partition after creating the SDCard but it will work fine. If you want to inspect the contents, install a Linux distribution on your computer.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Theory of operation
how it works
When you insert the SDCard and turn on the device this is what happens.
The device boots from SDCard.
The Ubuntu GUI will load. Personally, I recommend that you do not touch anything
You will be presented with a 100 Second countdown
If you wish to stop, press and hold power for 10 seconds before flashing has started
You will be presented with a progress bar status update only. Closing this will not affect the process. the only way to stop is to turn the device off.
At this point, the flashing process will begin
Flashing Process
After Ubuntu has booted here is the procedure which takes place
MLO partition will be written with all zeros, then flashed
U-BOOT partition will be written with all zeros, then flashed
RECOVERY partition will be written with all zeros, then flashed
BOOT partition will be written with all zeros, then flashed
BOOTDATA partition will be written with all zeros, then flashed
BOOTDATA is mounted and a command is sent to factory reset the device upon next boot.
FACTORY partition will be written with all zeros, then flashed in two parts to work around a 120 second filesystem operation bug.
A sync operation takes place to ensure all data is written to the device
SYSTEM partition is wiped with all zeros
SYSTEM partition is recreated as a blank EXT4 filesystem
CACHE partition is wiped with all zeros
CACHE partition is recreated as a blank EXT4 filesystem
SDCARD partition is wiped with all zeros
SDCARD partition is recreated as a blank FAT32 filesystem
A sync operation takes place to ensure that all data is written
You are notified to press and hold power. When the screen goes black remove your SDCard
note: Using a Class4 SDCard, the screen timeout will be aproximately 30 seconds after the entire operation has completed. Do not confuse screen-timeout (blank screen) with turning off the device (black, unilluminated screen). Turn the device off and then remove the sdcard or risk corrupting the data on the sdcard.
It's my intention that this may help someone. This will at least be one more method for people to try before giving up on restoration to 1.4.0. I generally receive 5-10 PMs per week requesting support on the acclaim_update.zip. Hopefully this will reduce those and give people another option to try.
Ubuntu isn't ready for daily use yet, but this recovery tool is more thorough than any other recovery method out there. I need some help porting the 3.0 kernel to the Nook Tablet.

Note: to neuter recovery and just use ubuntu, remove the file called /root/recovery from the sdcard before loading into your Nook.

Which kernel branch did you try to build?

Kuzma30 said:
Which kernel branch did you try to build?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried several. The problem is in configuration. I eventually settled for the stock 2.6 android_4430BN_defconfig. It seems to function best for this until we have a proper 3.0 kernel.

Thanks Adam very nice work. Question what if we want to revert to 1.4.0 or 1.4.0 is it possible or we will be stick it lol. Can this be supported for dual/multi boot?
~ Veronica
Sent from XDA premium using my Nook Tablet

Very good work Adam.
I have one trivial question... Why on all your projects do you use Ubuntu and not any other distro?

lavero.burgos said:
Thanks Adam very nice work. Question what if we want to revert to 1.4.0 or 1.4.0 is it possible or we will be stick it lol. Can this be supported for dual/multi boot?
~ Veronica
Sent from XDA premium using my Nook Tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what this does. It reverts you to 1.4.0. It uses Ubuntu as a dedicated recovery. If you would like to dual boot, just remove the /root/recovery file. You can boot Ubuntu or normal by inserting and removing the sdcard. But like i said, the touchscreen is wonkey and there's no way to fix most of the problems without a 3.0 kernel.
ShadowReaperGR said:
Very good work Adam.
I have one trivial question... Why on all your projects do you use Ubuntu and not any other distro?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Ubuntu on my desktop. I like Ubuntu because it has a large user base and if i come across a problem, it is easier to correct or has generally at least been discussed. For a mobile device, it makes more sense than other Linux distributions because newer versions have been optimized for touchscreens. In general, i find Ubuntu supports more things than other Linux distributions.

Hoster: http://ge.tt/ or 4shared.com both max. upload 2Gb/file.

AdamOutler said:
Thats what this does. It reverts you to 1.4.0. It uses Ubuntu as a dedicated recovery. If you would like to dual boot, just remove the /root/recovery file. You can boot Ubuntu or normal by inserting and removing the sdcard. But like i said, the touchscreen is wonkey and there's no way to fix most of the problems without a 3.0 kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha! thanks Adams, i'll wait until it gets a better kernel, i love the Ubuntu idea .
My 2 cents for host: http://minus.com/

Great work, will monitor this. Would be nice to have Ubuntu fully working on the Nook Tablet (or Nook Color, for that matter -- seems like development on that has died, shame as they are now $129 refurbished direct from B&N)

Hi Adam,
When you say the screen is wonky what do you mean? Is it sort of 90degrees out like our original CM7 build was?

CelticWebSolutions said:
Hi Adam,
When you say the screen is wonky what do you mean? Is it sort of 90degrees out like our original CM7 build was?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Also, none of the native tools to correct this work because of lack of proc and sys support.

Such a shame, I quite fancied a dual boot with android/ ubuntu
It was a simple fix in the build.prop on CM7
Oh well hopefully somebody will come up with a suitable 3.0 for you soon

AdamOutler said:
Note: If someone has web hosting for a 1.5Gig file and nearly unlimited bandwidth, the instructions above can be reduced to only a few simple steps... download, uncompress, run command in terminal to make a disk image, boot from SDCard. Team Komin's server bandwidth does not allow this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're still interested in doing this let me know. I can find a place to host it. Who knows how many people "bricked" their NTs from the CM7 beta - this seems to be the only logical fix if ADB doesn't work in CWM (which I'm experiencing (even from the SD version of CWM)). I haven't gotten a chance to confirm if this works or not yet for that issue (I'm waiting on a new microSD -> SD adapter), but if it works this would make it a lot easier.

Bit of problem in the end of setting up the sd
Everything goes quite fine but in the end when it is supposed to automount and than to copy the files from the recovery it behaves strange. Im a windows user so i have been using linux for 10hr now. Ill post later what it says .
@scsione889 . If you have web hostin i think you should send a PM to AdamOutler because he is quite busy. Because that would help a lot a lot. In the future also if we brick it again would be easier to do it in shorter steps. Because this one takes long and is a bit complicated to.

Here is the rehosted file and new instructions. Let me know if there are any problems so I can redo the first post.
You will need:
A Class 4 SDCard with at least 4Gigs of space
Ubuntu installed on Disk, USB drive, Wubi, or CD: http://ubuntu.com/download
6 gigs of free space (for downloading sdcard image and uncompressing)
The SDCard Image: http://ge.tt/9rVFXxC?c
Instructions:
Open a terminal in Ubuntu by typing "terminal" in the search bar then hit enter
uncompress the Downloaded SDCard Image
Code:
cd ~/Downloads
tar -xvwzf ./AdamOutlerUbuntuTotalReFlash.tar.gz
type "ls" to get a file listing and locate the name of the new file. (ie AdamOutlerUbuntuTotalReFlash).
With the SDCard or reader removed from the computer, get a list of all disks
Code:
ls /dev/sd?
Insert your sdcard or usb sdcard reader, then press the up key and enter to repeat the last command. The new device will show up as sdb, sdc, sdd or sde. each new device gets a higher letter. Note this newly plugged in device.(ie. /dev/sdc)
Use the following command to make your new SDCard, where "AdamOutlerUbuntuTotalReFlash" is the name of the uncompressed file and "sdc" is the name of your SDCard device.
Code:
sudo dd if=./AdamOutlerUbuntuTotalReFlash of=/dev/sdc
Wait 5-45 minutes (depending on SDCard speed) until the image burning completes.
Shove it in your nook and turn it on. The process will take 15 minutes to complete with a Class4 micro SDcard
Pro-tip: to copy and paste easily in Ubuntu, highlight text in the browser, then press the middle mouse button on the terminal.
Pro-tip: The tab key will auto-complete filenames.

Fixed Nook
AdamOutler said:
Here is the rehosted file and new instructions. Let me know if there are any problems so I can redo the first post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works hurrey.
My nook was not just bricked but more than that heeheh. I have tried with adb, CWM, with the flashable zip but none of them dident work. I did lose my hope to fix it actually.
But this method worked just fine. And with the last post it was way easier to make it to .
Thanks a lot Adam i have been hiting your thanks booton and ill hit it for some more days too.
I can tell that now if you want you can replace the first post with this one. Of that's what you want.
Thanks once more.

Fatos said:
Works hurrey.
My nook was not just bricked but more than that heeheh. I have tried with adb, CWM, with the flashable zip but none of them dident work. I did lose my hope to fix it actually.
But this method worked just fine. And with the last post it was way easier to make it to .
Thanks a lot Adam i have been hiting your thanks booton and ill hit it for some more days too.
I can tell that now if you want you can replace the first post with this one. Of that's what you want.
Thanks once more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you accepted my suggestion and tried it, well worth it in the end then
You'd gone a little bit further than the others that had just formatted the xloader, you'd got carried away and done the lot lol
Enjoy you're CM7 NT and DON'T format anything on there ever again!!!!

CelticWebSolutions said:
Glad you accepted my suggestion and tried it, well worth it in the end then
You'd gone a little bit further than the others that had just formatted the xloader, you'd got carried away and done the lot lol
Enjoy you're CM7 NT and DON'T format anything on there ever again!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha as they say learnig by doing. Heheh now i know.
Thanks for sharing your time.

Adam, will it ever be possible to get this on streak 7 ?

[UBUNTU][Testing] How-to install it on the Prime

-----------
HOW-TO: Ubuntu on Asus Transformer Prime TF201
Port by lilstevie (thank you for your hard work)
--------
DISCLAIMER:
I wrote this how-to from my experience installing successfully Ubuntu on my Prime.
I am in no way responsible for what you do with your Prime, even when you are following my instructions.
There is always the risk of making it worse, hardbricking your device, and this risk is completely down to you !
This is not a final version. This port is currently very unstable !
Install Ubuntu on your TF201 for testing purposes only !
HOW-TO Unbrick your Prime (or not...):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514088
--------
VERSION:
v0.1: First version of the tutorial
ABOUT:
- Working:
Wifi – Same patch as for the TF101
Keyboard (if you have a dock)
USB Host (if you have a dock)
- Partially working:
Graphics Acceleration (only 2D at this point)
Touchscreen (it works but every few touches are off target by 1/2 the screen)
- Not working:
Bluetooth
Trackpad
Sound
Sensors (ALS, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, GPS, magnetometer)
Shutdown, Reboot, Suspend
--------
Links:
Bootimage http://173.244.200.139/ports/prime-sdlinux.blob
RootFS http://173.244.200.139/ports/ubuntu-prime.img.gz
Fastboot http://alpharev.nl/wintools.zip
MD5:
9625d336062b2ff7eb9530dd5e48fb9e prime-sdlinux.blob
1a59e7918c199a85f805cb62ca130dae ubuntu.img
81238957a42b207213442cba7eeff684 wintools.zip
--------
Hardware:
Asus Transformer Prime TF201 (bootloader unlocked & with data/charge cable)
A computer with Linux installed
MicroSD card of at least 4GB (a fast card is better)
--------
Pre-requisities:
1. You need to have an already unlocked Prime.
To unlock it, use the official Asus Bootloader Unlock Tool APK on Android.
2. You need to have the latest ClockWorkMod (CWM) Recovery installed to easily backup & restore your device.
To install it, you can use the Android tool 'ROM Manager' from Play Store if you system is already rooted.
Otherwise, you can use the 'Fastboot' tool along with this tutorial (BE CAREFUL!):
HOW-TO 1: http://www.theandroidsoul.com/install-cwm-5-8-2-0-on-transformer-prime/
HOW-TO 2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1576937
(You can also install the Touch version of CWM to avoid destroying your volume buttons while navigating )
CLASSIC : http://download.clockworkmod.com/recoveries/recovery-clockwork-5.8.2.0-tf201.img
TOUCH : http://download.clockworkmod.com/recoveries/recovery-clockwork-touch-5.8.1.8-tf201.img
3. Before trying to do anything with your device, make a full nandroid backup of the current WORKING Android system.
To do that:
- Reboot on CWM (see the sticky, at the end)
- Navigate to 'backup and restore', then 'backup'
- Wait until the full backup is done...
--------
- INSTALL Ubuntu -
Introduction:
To have a working Ubuntu system on the Prime, you have to:
- Extract the root file system on your MicroSD card
- Flash the bootimage right on the device
While installing Ubuntu, the only thing you modify about Android, is the bootimage. You leave the system intact,
so you'll be able to do a pseudo-dualboot between Ubuntu, and Android (we'll see that later).
HOW-TO:
Extraction of the root filesystem:
- Connect your MicroSD card on the computer running linux (ex: /dev/sdc)
- Umount all current partitions from the card
- Using fdisk, fully erase it, rebuild partition table, and create one partition (ex: /dev/sdc1)
- Format it in 'ext4' (ex: $ mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdc1)
- Using 'dd' command, extract the 'ubuntu.img' filesystem to the recently created partition
(ex: $ dd if=ubuntu.img of=/dev/sdc1)
- Wait until extraction completes... (It takes a while...)
- Mount the partition to verify that the extraction completes successfully (ex: $ mount /dev/sdc1 folder)
- Umount it, eject the card and put it on the Prime (ex: $ umount /dev/sdc1)
- Your Ubuntu filesystem is ready to use !
Flashing the bootimage (BE CAREFUL!):
- Reboot in fastboot mode (see the sticky, at the end)
- Connect the Prime to the computer, and be sure the drivers are correctly installed
You can find the drivers here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426502
- Extract the fastboot archive 'wintools.zip' and move the file 'prime-sdlinux.blob' in the same folder
- Execute the command: fastboot -i 0x0b05 flash boot prime-sdlinux.blob
(WARNING! This command will overwrite the bootimage of your Prime! Be sure you know what you're doing!)
- Wait until the flash completes... (it generally takes a few seconds...)
- When the blue progress bar is full, on the Prime, hold the Power switch to reboot the device
- Be sure that the MicroSD card is in the Prime
- Your Prime is now booting on Ubuntu, you should see some text displaying on the screen
- Wait until the system initializes... (It takes a while for the first boot...)
You should see kernel verbose booting, displaying something saying the system is resizing a partition
on the MicroSD card...
- Your Ubuntu system is installed ! You can do the graphical basic setup, then do a hard reboot of the device !
- Good luck with your freshly installed Ubuntu on your awsome Asus Transformer Prime !
--------
- RESTORE Android -
Introduction:
After installing Ubuntu, to have Android back on the Prime, you have to:
- (OPTIONAL: Do a full nandroid backup to be able to restore the Ubuntu bootimage directly from the CWM later)
- Simply restore the Android bootimage from the nandroid backup made before the installation of Ubuntu
HOW-TO:
To do that:
- Reboot on CWM (see the sticky, at the end)
- Go to 'backup and restore', then 'advanced restore'
- Choose the Android backup made before installing Ubuntu
- Choose 'Restore boot' option
- Wait until the restore is done...
- Choose 'reboot system now' to boot in Android
--------
- DUALBOOT Android/Ubuntu -
Introduction:
We can note that the both systems are installed on two different storage devices.
Android is directly on the device and Ubuntu is on the MicroSD.
The only thing that changes between the two systems is the bootimage.
If you have a nandroid backup of each WORKING systems, you can do an advanced restore of the boot 'boot.img'
of Ubuntu to boot it from the MicroSD card, or restore the boot of the Android backup to boot on Android !
HOW-TO:
To do that:
- Reboot on CWM (see the sticky, at the end)
- Go to 'backup and restore', then 'advanced restore'
- Choose the correct backup (the Android one, or the Ubuntu one)
- Choose 'Restore boot' option
- Wait until the restore is done...
--------
STICKY:
- Booting the Prime on recovery mode (CWM):
1. Power off the device (using Android, or by a long press of the power switch)
2. Power it on, by keeping simultaneously pressed the power switch and the volume down button
3. When text displays on top of the screen, release all, and press the volume up button
4. Wait a few seconds and CWM will appear on the Prime...
- Booting the prime in fastboot mode:
1. Power off the device (using Android, or by a long press of the power switch)
2. Power it on, by keeping simultaneously pressed the power switch and the volume down button
3. Wait until the message saying 'OS will coldboot in 10 seconds' etc... then release all buttons
4. Use the volume down button to select the USB icon
5. Validate with volume up
6. You can connect your device to a computer to send fastboot commands...

Testing request
If someone want to test it and confirm that this tutorial can be fully approved, it'll be great

This is really great news!!!...I wanted to run ubuntu on my prime and use it as fully fledged portable laptop...
all there already was had either ubuntu running through vnc server and that too outdated version or chroot ubuntu...(if i am not missing anything here)
I wish that we would be soon able to get ubuntu for android (UFA) from canonical preinstalled with the next update of tf201...I heard that we cannot possibly install it without asus agreeing to team up with canonical...
atm, this seems great...will test and report...!!!

Would be nice to have grub or a similar bootmanager to switch between the systems on startup

OP, so what is your connection with lilstevie? I notice the links for the downloads of the blob and image file go to http://lilstevie.geek.nz/ports/ and the files there are almost 6 weeks old. Your working/not working list is also the exact same as the original post from lilstevie at http://androidroot.mobi/2012/02/23/ubuntu-on-the-transformer-prime/
Just wondering are you actually developing any of this or just found the links and put up a howto?
Thanks

As I said at the beginning, this is the work of lilstevie. I searched how to install it, and once I've set it up on my Prime, I made that tutorial today.
I share it here if someone want to try installing Ubuntu on their Prime.
The files are the original ones hosted by lilstevie. And I did not found any version newer, so let's wait for a new release, or a final version.
And no I don't work with him for the development.

I was waiting for something like this! Thanks a lot for writing up a guide and trying it on tf201.
Now we need proper dual boot, shouldn't be too hard to figure out...

Just followed your howto and it's working fine on my tf201.
Now I'm updating via apt-get

Looking Forward to this
Will transform then Device into a laptop excellent.
Not sure why more people arn't getting involved.

ryanbell said:
Will transform then Device into a laptop excellent.
Not sure why more people arn't getting involved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably due the the high risk of completely bricking your prime until a safe dual boot or single boot solution is in place. Certainly that is what is holding me back.
The whole reason I bought the Prime was for this, but without nvflash I am going to hold back until some more intrepid soul does the boot work

do we need linux to format the sd card or can we do it in windows?

jellydroid13 said:
do we need linux to format the sd card or can we do it in windows?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need Linux, but don't let that stop you if you're a windows user - installing, say, Ubuntu is INCREDIBLY simple on windows, you can install it as a windows program, run live CDs, or (with just a liitle more effort) set up a dual-boot with windows and the Linux distros you like. I am NOT computer savvy, so trust me when I say it isn't hard
To anyone who has tried this, any comments on how well it runs? I'm not going to try this just yet, but I'm really curious. Does it run as well as Ubuntu on today's low-range laptops? I guess what I'm wondering is, does it seem like ordinary Ubuntu on ordinary x86 machine? Forget about the known issues, just browsing Unity or gnome, is it smooth and pleasant enough? Thanks for any info

Komodo Rogue said:
You need Linux, but don't let that stop you if you're a windows user - installing, say, Ubuntu is INCREDIBLY simple on windows, you can install it as a windows program, run live CDs, or (with just a liitle more effort) set up a dual-boot with windows and the Linux distros you like. I am NOT computer savvy, so trust me when I say it isn't hard
To anyone who has tried this, any comments on how well it runs? I'm not going to try this just yet, but I'm really curious. Does it run as well as Ubuntu on today's low-range laptops? I guess what I'm wondering is, does it seem like ordinary Ubuntu on ordinary x86 machine? Forget about the known issues, just browsing Unity or gnome, is it smooth and pleasant enough? Thanks for any info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks but i dug through and found my live linux flash drive(im no noob ) i will be installing soon and tell you how it goes.

just tried it and it looks very promising. I could finally use remote desktop decently from my prime and control vms within the server, which was awesome.
can't wait for these corageous and smart people to get dual boot working among the other issues
also found out:
- no functioning battery indicator for both batteries (dock/tablet)
- couldn't install flash so for youtube (guess none is available for arm?)

i also just tried it out and cant wait for it to be fully functional (is anyone even still working on it?) anyways i would replace android with it.

jellydroid13 said:
i also just tried it out and cant wait for it to be fully functional (is anyone even still working on it?) anyways i would replace android with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But then what is the point of having a tablet over a netbook or cheap laptop? Battery life? Touch screen?

dotnerdify said:
But then what is the point of having a tablet over a netbook or cheap laptop? Battery life? Touch screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both of those things, plus versatility (dock, no dock, Linux or Android), and of course the cool factor
I would want to keep android around (hence desire for dual boot) for the times I might want it (like to watch movies on a flight, etc) but I think for the most part if there was a good, fast native Linux that's where I would be.

My opinion is that there is no need for Linux Ubutnu on Primes, because I bought just because PRIME has Android OS and has features that no laptop! And more like Prime with Android OS because it is function of the sea than no have a laptop with Windows, Mac or Linux Ubuntu. Some of the features that I like on my To: Touchscreen, Bluetooth, trackpad, sensor (ALS, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, GPS, magnetometer), shutdown, reboot, no need for always shotdown and wait time for the system start, It is great for work and playing games, two cameras, GPS, BATTERY LIVES IS MUCH BETTER THAN IN LAPTOPS and lot more options.

Sure tabs have their use cases, but having a full blown Linux distro running as well extends that set of use cases by a phenomenal amount. I can certainly use a Linux distro on my tab for the full blown IDE Eclipse an other apps available like FTP, VNC etc.
Current users, can you say how the touch screen works? Still half of the screen?

qubz said:
Sure tabs have their use cases, but having a full blown Linux distro running as well extends that set to use cases by a phenomenal amount. I can certainly use a Linux distro on my tab for the full blown IDE Eclipse an other apps available like FTP, VNC etc.
Current users, can you say how the touch screen works? Still half of the screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My touchscreen has been working fine so far also lilsteve said on his twitter that he has a most stuff working and that the release of Ubuntu 12.04 in 4 days is supposed to have native tegra 3 support so he is planning on a 12.04 release with most stuff working soon.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Allwinner A10 ROM images,how to modify any custom ROM for any allwinner A10 device.

Hello all,I had bought a local tablet from calcutta called ICE Xtreme on which I had nightmares,but it also helped me learn n now here is it,a short yet complete guide for ur allwinner devices.
Like me,some of u might have been bored enough abt the stock rom that we decide to experiment.since allwinner CPUs can boot over USB(livesuit mode) n SD cards (phoenixcard) we think nothing will b wrong n flash without a full rom backup (i hav a script uploaded here,find it n hav a look), after the flash we find the stock ROM gone,camera,touch,wi-fi etc gone haywires n cache is mounted as SDCARD!!! Yes,those who used livesuit hav been in stuff lik this. Now I was also in one n upon reading alot I hav seen ppl editing bootloaders,using keyboard mouse,plugging HDMI(lcd broken). After a month of fiddling wit my device its time i share a shortcut that can save many hours of ur life.

Also do backup the boot n bootloader on ur pc as sumtimes flashing destroys the SD.
1st step. Backup ur bootloader n boot images. Use "cat dev/block/nandc > sdcard/dump/boot.img" to backup boot..nw backup bootloader the same way,by replacing nandc wit nanda.

Now u use adb pull method to backup ur system,etc,data(its optional,only do it if u want ur apps).n any other folder from the root of ur device.my script can help u do it instantly. Anyways,u must get the etc n system folder.
After that ur free to flash any ROM image through any method (actually,livesuits the best if u can find the img). Now after flash ur device is on right?? Does the SDCARD mount??if no then turn on USB debug,in adb shell type cd dev/block <enter> then type ls n ull see a list of nand partitions,the last one is the SDCARD in raw format.so format is by: su busybox mkfs.vfat dev/block/nand[drive letter,i.e. nandj] n then type vold.ur sdcard will mount.

Now send those boot n bootloader files to SDCARD/dump. U can use mkdir or mannually make the dir n copy. Thn simply type "cat sdcard/dump/boot.img > dev/block/nandc" n same way type nanda n bootloader to restore the bootloader. Now use adb to push the files of ur stock ROM system/vendor/modules(which u backed up earlier) to tablets system/vendor/modules. N the contents of etc folder to etc on the tablet.nw reboot.
Hey!!! Its working.the LCD shift is gone,cam n wi-fi doing good,touch is not reversed or stuff. Congratulations u restored ur tablet,n now running a completely diffrent ROM on it.enjoy.

Heres another shortcut ive learned. U can get any update.zip n convert it to licesuit image. Just extract the system dir. Thn copy it to ur SDCARD. Make modification if needed,copy the modules u backed up.In adb shell type make_ext4fs -s -l 300M -a system <filename.img> (dir of ur system,i.e mnt/sdcard/system) it will make u a .img file which is same as the system.fex file u get when u break a livesuit image. Copy n replace the ROMs boot n bootloader.fex files wit ur backed up boot n bootloader.img (rename .img to .fex) pack the image again to livesuit format n burn it. It will install like a normal ROM. BUT MAKE SURE FILE PERMISSIONS OF READ WRITE N EXECUTE IS INTACT. ELSE ULL ENJOY HOURS OF BOOTANIMATION. but if ur stuck use the method above n flash any other ROM n fix the RON fr ur device. Guys ROM developing n editing fr allwinner devices are not easy...BTW id lik to thank user [iamabadduck] fr his actual A10 backup script. On which i made mine. Im still doing experiments. Hope this info i shared makes the readers modest enough to make the hit thanks. Bye. [ ill b around,so if any quests,ill ans them].

I was very excited to see someone finally post a guide for these mysterious tablets! Thank you!
However, I ran into some difficulties trying to make use of them, but I think this has more to do with my hardware and trying to match it with the appropriate ROM and compatibility zip.
You see, I have a Kocaso M1060W. It's a very nice little tablet but trying to identify it has been difficult. As far I can tell, it's a clone of the Protab2XXL (I don't know what version) or something called the BC1077. It seems easier identifying other Allwinner A10's, apparently. I know some identifying information can be found in the build.prop file and that's how I figured out the tablets of which it is a clone. I even tried finding a database of different ImageSuit images I could try to use, but either there is none or my Google skills are suffering. Does it matter that Kocaso chose to go with PhoenixCard for flashing their tablets? Some documentation suggests the images for both are the same.
Can you help me find documentation that would help me identify the board and the hardware? Let me know what information you need from the tablet, and I will get it to you. Identification would go a long way towards me making use of your steps.
Also, a question. After the rom is flashed and you "adb shell" in, you have me trying to mount the sdcard directory via the nand block devices, and then entering "vold". It doesn't error but nothing seems to happen. Even stranger, running "mount" tells me that it's done something. Is it because most of the ROM flashes require the data wipe that I should assume I have the capability to read/write within the SDCARD directory?

Allwinner A10 ghost touch (Icoo D70W, goodix chip)
Hello There!
I've got this tablet since last year, but it worked brilliantly for four minutes only.
Here is some detail:
ICOO D70W, Allwinner A10 board , 1 Gb of RAM and 8Gb storage, ICS android.
7 inch IPS display on 1024X600 resolution capacitive multitouch.
The original firmware was a nightmare, so slow , and full of chinese thing with no google play, quick decision -> get another firmware.
I've installed an actual version of AOKP ( I think it was the 9th version) and I used one of those comp file which was for an ainol tablet same hardware details.
After this , my big four minetes has started until a figured out the camera does not work.
I used another compatibility file, from a hyundai tablet same camera details, camera ok , but the touch chip went down and cannot get back, since that.
Ghost touches on the screen, but the normal touches are recognised as well.
Do you have any idea, how to reflash that touch driver chip?
attached files from the original firmware, maybe give some help:
And a video on y_-tube, with this watchcode: YfNZf2BgL3w or use "ICOO D70W ghost touch problem" keyword
Thanks in advance.
Zsolt

Compatability
konyazsolt said:
Hello There!
I've got this tablet since last year, but it worked brilliantly for four minutes only.
Here is some detail:
ICOO D70W, Allwinner A10 board , 1 Gb of RAM and 8Gb storage, ICS android.
7 inch IPS display on 1024X600 resolution capacitive multitouch.
The original firmware was a nightmare, so slow , and full of chinese thing with no google play, quick decision -> get another firmware.
I've installed an actual version of AOKP ( I think it was the 9th version) and I used one of those comp file which was for an ainol tablet same hardware details.
After this , my big four minetes has started until a figured out the camera does not work.
I used another compatibility file, from a hyundai tablet same camera details, camera ok , but the touch chip went down and cannot get back, since that.
Ghost touches on the screen, but the normal touches are recognised as well.
Do you have any idea, how to reflash that touch driver chip?
attached files from the original firmware, maybe give some help:
And a video on y_-tube, with this watchcode: YfNZf2BgL3w or use "ICOO D70W ghost touch problem" keyword
Thanks in advance.
Zsolt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you could Post an lsmod from both the Working Firmware and the Non-Working I will take a swing at answering your question...The problem is likely one compat file is installing drivers for one of Your pieces of hardware and not the other and the other compat file is istalling the driver for the other piece but not the One... confusing sounding...
But Bottom Line is If I had the Lsmod from the working Hardware and the 2 compatability files you tried I could likely alter one of the compatability files to cover All of your hardware.
Or better yet pull the Bootloader.img and the Boot.img out of your Tab and send them to me...
you can do this by opening a cmd window from a directory where you wish to store the .img files then type the following :
adb shell su -c "cat /dev/block/nandc > /mnt/sdcard/nandc-root.img" (Press enter Key)
adb pull /mnt/sdcard/nandc-root.img (Press enter Key)
That will give you the Boot.img (named nandc-root.img)
adb shell su -c "cat /dev/block/nanda > /mnt/sdcard/nanda-bootloader.img" (Press enter Key)
adb pull /mnt/sdcard/nanda-bootloader.img (Press enter Key)
That will give the bootloader.img (named nanda-bootloader.img)
send those from both your OEM Rom that is working and the Target Rom you wish to make work .... from that I can either write a compat patch for it or send back the edited ones from your Target Rom (the one you wish to work)

Srry i cudnt keep my promise of being around. Had been pretty busy looking for stock JB ROMs in livesuit format. Found some. Some worked n some didnt. Will abt the touchscreen issue if that Rom has a focaltech ftx_5x touchscreen its broken. U hav to compile it again leaving out the multitouch part in a header file. Do a google search. There r alot of articles. N abt da nand part well not all roms break the internal SD partition. The busybox thing u do only when ur internal cards dont mount. It will NOT WORK FOR A MICROSD IF U HAV ONE. Its generally mounted as extsd.

Try reading from here:
konyazsolt said:
Hello There!
I've got this tablet since last year, but it worked brilliantly for four minutes only.
Here is some detail:
ICOO D70W, Allwinner A10 board , 1 Gb of RAM and 8Gb storage, ICS android.
7 inch IPS display on 1024X600 resolution capacitive multitouch.
The original firmware was a nightmare, so slow , and full of chinese thing with no google play, quick decision -> get another firmware.
I've installed an actual version of AOKP ( I think it was the 9th version) and I used one of those comp file which was for an ainol tablet same hardware details.
After this , my big four minetes has started until a figured out the camera does not work.
I used another compatibility file, from a hyundai tablet same camera details, camera ok , but the touch chip went down and cannot get back, since that.
Ghost touches on the screen, but the normal touches are recognised as well.
Do you have any idea, how to reflash that touch driver chip?
attached files from the original firmware, maybe give some help:
And a video on y_-tube, with this watchcode: YfNZf2BgL3w or use "ICOO D70W ghost touch problem" keyword
Thanks in advance.
Zsolt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1520943
It's a thread about the allwinner A10 or EKEN T01A.. it shows how to reflash to original and updated EKEN firmwares via livesuit. And also i think they mentioned something about touchscreen issues. Hope it helps

Hi please help me! I have nightmares too with my tablet:
Hi, i have a mid tabler model HBD-Mid-708G like that http://marcopolocompany.fucsio.com/e...oducts/MC-708G . This is a Boxchip a10 with 11 partitions, i get this info throw ADB.
My problem was try to install CWM getting the error Can´t Mount / Read!!!!!
I have been used this roms:
F1-4.1.1-20130319.2.0.6-A721_v4.2
pdf_android4.0.10_ctp7_public_en_0319
Q7_512M+flash+Gmail
rom_woo_comet_404_291112_0cd4d
RSH-A10-C2
speed.1.1.1
sun4i_crane_t01a-linsay-20120411
and only rom_woo_comet where some Ok! .
Solved this CWM problem flashing a rom_woo_comet using LiveSuit but the result is an screen resolution problem: (the image attach) .
So please any can say me a correct rom?
Thanks

accessing nand
hi there,
this is interesting stuff you are talking about here. Unfortunately, I get stuck to the beginning. How do you access the nand???
you say sart with cat dev/block/nandc > sdcard/dump/boot.img
I'd love to but where do you enter these commands? When I connect my tablet to my computer, I see certains parts as usb storage, and I have no way of entering commands to the tablet. From within android, everything is blocked...
thanks for your help

nacxo said:
Hi please help me! I have nightmares too with my tablet:
Hi, i have a mid tabler model HBD-Mid-708G like that http://marcopolocompany.fucsio.com/e...oducts/MC-708G . This is a Boxchip a10 with 11 partitions, i get this info throw ADB.
My problem was try to install CWM getting the error Can´t Mount / Read!!!!!
I have been used this roms:
F1-4.1.1-20130319.2.0.6-A721_v4.2
pdf_android4.0.10_ctp7_public_en_0319
Q7_512M+flash+Gmail
rom_woo_comet_404_291112_0cd4d
RSH-A10-C2
speed.1.1.1
sun4i_crane_t01a-linsay-20120411
and only rom_woo_comet where some Ok! .
Solved this CWM problem flashing a rom_woo_comet using LiveSuit but the result is an screen resolution problem: (the image attach) .
So please any can say me a correct rom?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to edit your script.bin inside the bootloader.img... there is a utility to do this on techknow.me...
to do it manually you need to extract the script.bin file from the bootloader.img ... easiest way is from adb shell
Open a windows command window (this assumes you have adb.exe in your Path .. if not you must do this from the
same folder where adb.exe is located)
type the following
adb shell su -c "cat /dev/block/nanda > /mnt/sdcard/nanda-bootloader.img"
adb pull /mnt/sdcard/nanda-bootloader.img
this will place a file called nanda-bootloader.img in the folder where you ran the windows command window.
Now copy the file to your Linux Machine or VM
and from a terminal do the following:
mkdir bootloader
sudo mount -t vfat ./nanda-bootloader.img bootloader
This mounts the bootloader image to the bootloader folder.... in the bootloader folder copy the script.bin file to another location for editing.
to edit it must be converted to fex... you will need the fex tools for this I have them posted here: http://www.4shared.com/zip/Nzn6PV-b/tools.html
your Linux machine has to be x64 for those to work.
from the folder containing the tools folder and script.bin file open a terminal and do the following:
./tools/bin2fex script.bin > script.fex
this will create the script.fex file which is editable in a linux text editor, open the file and edit the [lcd0_para] section
to correct your screen shift ... the exact settings needed are impossible for me to determine as I do not
have your tab nor the rom you originally had on it.. if you have the original rom available (with screen position correct)
you can pull the script.bin from that rom and replace the entire [lcd0_para] section with the same section from your working rom
to solve the issue.
once edited convert back to .bin from a terminal with the following commands:
./tool/fex2bin script.fex > script.bin
now open the bootloader folder as superuser and delete the script.bin and script0.bin located inside...
copy the new script.bin file in and also copy it and rename the copy to script0.bin and place that there as well.
then from folder containing bootloader folder open a terminal and do the following:
sudo umount bootloader
now copy nanda-bootloader.img to windows machine.
open a Command window in the folder containing your new nanda-bootloader.img file and do the following
adb push nanda-bootloader.img /mnt/sdcard
adb shell su -c "cat /mnt/sdcard/nanda-bootloader.img > /dev/block/nanda"
adb shell rm /mnt/sdcard/nanda-bootloader.img
adb shell su -c "sync"
adb shell su -c "reboot"
if all was done properly your tab should now reboot with the correct screen geometry. The utility I mentioned does
pretty much all of this for you, but i cannot link it here as it is on techknow.me which requires registration to
download ... and the rules forbid links to such sites here.
I hope that all helps you.
---------- Post added at 12:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 PM ----------
djahma said:
hi there,
this is interesting stuff you are talking about here. Unfortunately, I get stuck to the beginning. How do you access the nand???
you say sart with cat dev/block/nandc > sdcard/dump/boot.img
I'd love to but where do you enter these commands? When I connect my tablet to my computer, I see certains parts as usb storage, and I have no way of entering commands to the tablet. From within android, everything is blocked...
thanks for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must have the ADB drivers installed and know where they are located, placing them in your Path statement is a good idea if you intend to do much ROM editing or direct Tablet commands from and adb shell.
NOTE: To open a command window from any folder on your computer in Explorer browse to the folder you want to open command window from
then in an area of the folder window that is empty right click mouse while holding shift then select open command window here
Once you have ADB INstalled, if the adb.exe is in your path open a command window from any folder you like on windows and type the commands in the command window. If ADB.exe is not in your path you must open a command window in the folder containing adb.exe
(Usually the android SDK Platform tools folder)
I Hope that helps

Thanks fsebentley, I've now copied all nandX partitions.
what I'm trying to do now, is to create a bootable sd card. I believe I must tailor u-boot.bin to boot a specific kernel with my specific hardware setup.
I've found a lot of resource for arm boards, but almost none for tablets, except for direct flashing but I'm not ready to go this far.
So, do you know about a nice tool to read what's in u-boot.bin and eventually modify it?

Touchpad driver
Hi!
I need some help!! I want to include touchpad driver an cm9 installer because when I instal the system with CWM but the touchpad not working!!!
Here is the topic where you can find the ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1861445
Sorry I write here because I can't write in the original topic.
Thank for help!!!

Apad 711 stuck at boot logo
Hi Guys,
I need help. one of my friend has a Apad711 tablet and his stock android recovery was changed by cwm 5.08 incorrect version and hence the power + - or power button was not responding.
I took over and had flashed 6.0.2 8 cwm by following this forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2189640
and recovery was working properly, but then i though of upgrading it to cyanogen mod 9 and downloaded the files using this forum
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1760929
however after the update was completed the touchscreen didnt work and I had to connect a usb OTG cable along with usb mouse to get into recovery. I then did a little research and tried flashing a couple of compatibility zip
711i_compatibility_1.1.0.zip, lyf1_compatibility_1.1.0.zip, 711i_compatibility_1.2.0.zip, lyf1_compatibility_1.2.0.zip which had similar specs from this website http://old.androidfilehost.com/main/Allwinner_A10_Developers/christiantroy/misc/
but even after doing so touchscreen,camers etc didnt work.
since i had made a backup of stock rom using cwm before flashing cyanogenmod 9 i thought of restoring it back using cwm 6.0.2.8
i was able to restore the back up but to my surprise i am now stuck at apad boot logo and cannot boot to recovery using the volume - and power key. i tried to connect the tablet to pc so that i can get into adb interface and reboot to recovery but the computer detects the tab as unknown device
I now need help to get into recovery and flash a rom that would make it work or complete tutorial to install/flash a new /stock rom or cyanogenmod to get the device back to life.
please refer to the manufacturers website link listed below for specs:--
http://www.apadtab.com/711_spec.php
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

allwinner a10., broken bootloader
Hi i've got a eneoze tablet with an allwinner A10., now i've flashed my bootloader with berryboot en it was working., later i wanted to change some things in de configs of the berryboot bootloader and i messed up. Now my tablet is completely dead.
It doesn't doe anything when i try to turn it on., de screen doesn't even light up., it isn't recognised when i connect it to the pc so fastboot., adb aren't working eather.
Do you have any ideas on how to resolve this.?
Greets Sam

sammekevremde said:
Hi i've got a eneoze tablet with an allwinner A10., now i've flashed my bootloader with berryboot en it was working., later i wanted to change some things in de configs of the berryboot bootloader and i messed up. Now my tablet is completely dead.
It doesn't doe anything when i try to turn it on., de screen doesn't even light up., it isn't recognised when i connect it to the pc so fastboot., adb aren't working eather.
Do you have any ideas on how to resolve this.?
Greets Sam
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can't flash it from your pc, create a bootable sd card. For example, you could copy your berryboot image to the sd card and boot from it.
Supposedly, you saved your tablet nand into an image before messing up with that nand. Once you boot from sd, flash the nand again with that saved image. Good luck to you

need a little help
i wnt to increase resolution of my a10 tab from 800x480 to 1024x600....to do so i need to edit the bootloader(bootloader.fex)
but,the problem is i can't edit the bootloader.fex correctly......how to edit properly

Onda obook10 factory reset bootloop - Request for system dump

I recently ordered an Onda obook10 dual booting tablet (Android 5.1 +Win10) from GearBest, and received it a week (and a half) ago. It is the V5 version (9th and 10th digits of S/N). Booted into Android at first, swiped around a little, and then left it alone for when I was free. Day before, I booted into Windows, and seeing that an account was already set up, hit the factory reset option (Options: remove all personal files, normal wipe (not thorough)). It rebooted, said it was resetting, then got stuck at 5% for a half hour. I then did a hard reboot, and it starting resetting again. I repeated this a few times, with different waiting periods, but it always got stuck at 5%. I wanted to see what was going on, so I opened the OS selector menu and tried to boot into Android, but that put the device into a bootloop, and it's stayed that way since. I downloaded the recovery WinPE from their website, and tried running it; all went well until the last step (installing the install.wim file), which succeeded, but when the batch file tried to set the boot options/flags, it threw an error about not being able to access D:, and failed. Tried making the recovery USB and installing multiple times, but it failed every time. I then tried Gandalf's WinPE image, which booted, and tried using imagex to install the .wim file to C: manually, as detailed here. This failed too.
I'm at my wits' end, honestly. I have no idea what else to try. There's another WinPE file available for download, but it's dated only a couple of weeks after the one I already have, so I'm hesitant to download it if there's any other option (I have very low bandwidth, it would take me at least two days). Also, it's hosted on Baidu, and the download times out after about an hour, and cannot resume. If anyone could give me any ideas, or point me towards a guide I haven't found yet (I've read all the relevant ones I could find on the Onda forums, but please post them anyway if you think they would be helpful), that would be great.
What would be perfect is if someone could upload, or point me toward a system dump/partition clone of at least the Windows partition and boot partition; I have the tools needed to flash those.
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I managed to fix this a while ago, and have put the procedure somewhere in this thread, but since people keep popping up every now and then asking for it, I'm going to put this here so it's easier to find. Copied from later in the thread, here, and modified to be more general:
This uses slightly modified commands from the Onda firmware install script, and will result in a COMPLETE WIPE and reinstall of Windows - all the files on the Windows partition will be lost. This SHOULD work for anyone whose Android is working but Windows isn't, but I can't guarantee that. I can't even guarantee that this will work (though I am pretty sure it will) - I have not tested it completely. If you can, you should make a backup of anything files on the internal storage, just in case. As always, read the whole procedure before starting.
NOTE: If your Android isn't working, you need to install that first - get the Android file from the Onda Baidu page (look for the one for OBOOK 10 (not SE), with the appropriate V1, V2, V3, V5, or V7 code - you can find your code by checking the serial no. on the back of your device, the 9th and 10th characters), and follow the instructions in the document included in the zip - they are pretty straightforward, but you'll have to use Google Translate, as they're in Chinese. This MUST be done before the Windows procedure, because the Android installer wipes the entire disk.
If you want, you can make the procedure easier for yourself and save all the commands below to a text file, put it in the root folder of the USB before booting, and open it in Notepad by using:
Code:
notepad D:\textfile.txt
Or whatever name you give it. That way, you can copy paste them all easily.
Boot into the Windows installer, and when the command window appears, press Ctrl-C. After a few seconds, it will ask you if you want to terminate batch job, type 'y' and press enter. You now have a command prompt to work with.
You have to delete your Windows partitions first. The below partition numbers should be correct, but you should make sure first by running "list partition" and checking if it corresponds with the last 3 partitions, which should be your Windows partitions - their sizes are usually 128 MB, 35 GB, and around 800-1024 MB, and their types are Reserved, Primary, and Recovery (DO NOT delete the Primary partition at the beginning of the disk). DO NOT delete the Unknown partitions - those are Android's.
Code:
diskpart
sel disk 0
sel partition 14
delete partition
sel partition 13
delete partition
sel partition 12
delete partition
Your Windows partitions are now completely gone, so you'll have to recreate them first.
Change directory to the images folder.
Code:
cd D:\images
Get filesizes of .wim files to create partitions accordingly:
Code:
for %I in (Install.wim) do set INSTALL_SIZE=%~zI
set /a INSTALL_SIZE_MB=%INSTALL_SIZE:~0,-6%
for %I in (Winre.wim) do set RE_SIZE=%~zI
set /a RE_SIZE_MB=%RE_SIZE:~0,-6%
if %RE_SIZE_MB% LSS 430 (set /a RE_SIZE_MB=480
) else (
if %RE_SIZE_MB% GEQ 430 (
if %RE_SIZE_MB% LSS 680 (
set /a RE_SIZE_MB=%RE_SIZE_MB%+320
) else (
set /a RE_SIZE_MB=%RE_SIZE_MB%+1024
)
) )
Make sure to preserve all the spaces and brackets in the above code.
Enter diskpart, run the following:
Code:
sel disk 0
create partition msr size=128
create partition primary
shrink minimum=%RE_SIZE_MB%
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter="W"
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Recovery"
assign letter="R"
set id="de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac"
gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001
You should now have 14 partitions when you do "list partition".
Exit diskpart.
Now for the actual installation:
Code:
md w:\recycler
md R:\recovery\windowsre
DISM /Apply-Image /ImageFile:"D:\images\Install.wim" /ApplyDir:w: /Index:1 /Compact /ScratchDir:w:\recycler
xcopy D:\images\Winre.wim r:\recovery\windowsre /y
Create boot entry:
Code:
bcdboot w:\WINDOWS
If that doesn't work, then:
w:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\BCDBOOT w:\WINDOWS
Set recovery environment:
Code:
w:\windows\system32\reagentc.exe /SetREImage /Path R:\recovery\windowsre /target w:\windows
And that's it! You should have both OSes operational now.

Update: I've managed to fix this problem. However, since the procedure is lengthy, and there doesn't seem to be anybody who needs a solution, I'm not going to the trouble of typing it out. If anyone does need to know how to save it, post here, and I'd be happy to help out.
EDIT: I've put the guide in the first post.

Flashing Help
SirVer said:
Update: I've managed to fix this problem. However, since the procedure is lengthy, and there doesn't seem to be anybody who needs a solution, I'm not going to the trouble of typing it out. If anyone does need to know how to save it, post here, and I'd be happy to help out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an Onda Obook 10 and have a problem with aandroid side of it. The system UI crashes, all google apps have stopped.
I have the Rom for it but have no clue how to install it.
I have gone into recovery mode and cleared cache and done a factory reset but the errors still happen in Android. The Windows 10 side of things work fine.
Have you any advice or help you can offer,
Regards
Jon

[email protected] said:
I have an Onda Obook 10 and have a problem with aandroid side of it. The system UI crashes, all google apps have stopped.
I have the Rom for it but have no clue how to install it.
I have gone into recovery mode and cleared cache and done a factory reset but the errors still happen in Android. The Windows 10 side of things work fine.
Have you any advice or help you can offer,
Regards
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Inside the ROM zip, there should be a Word document with instructions in Chinese on how to flash the ROM. It should basically say something like this:
1. Extract zip contents, put them in a USB drive.
2. Plug it in, and with a keyboard attached, hold down ESC and power on the device to enter BIOS.
3. Enter the Boot Manager, and select Internal EFI.
4. It should automatically start applying the ROM after a few seconds.
Be warned that this may wipe your Windows partition - this happened to me, but that may be because my partition table was somewhat messed up. Either way, be sure to take a disk image or backup of your MSR, C drive, and recovery partition (probably the last 3 partitions on the disk).
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

Widows swith icon
SirVer said:
Inside the ROM zip, there should be a Word document with instructions in Chinese on how to flash the ROM. It should basically say something like this:
1. Extract zip contents, put them in a USB drive.
2. Plug it in, and with a keyboard attached, hold down ESC and power on the device to enter BIOS.
3. Enter the Boot Manager, and select Internal EFI.
4. It should automatically start applying the ROM after a few seconds.
Be warned that this may wipe your Windows partition - this happened to me, but that may be because my partition table was somewhat messed up. Either way, be sure to take a disk image or backup of your MSR, C drive, and recovery partition (probably the last 3 partitions on the disk).
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Reinstalled android thanks for your help. the only thing missing is the icon to switch to windows. I think the partition is still there but there was an icon for switching but don't know where it's gone.
Any advice would be helpful.
Regards
Jon

[email protected] said:
Hi Reinstalled android thanks for your help. the only thing missing is the icon to switch to windows. I think the partition is still there but there was an icon for switching but don't know where it's gone.
Any advice would be helpful.
Regards
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the partition still there, or is that just free space you're seeing? For me, the partition was gone, with unallocated space in its place. If the partition is still there, then your job is relatively simple.
1. Make a WinPE recovery drive from another Windows machine, or just use a custom one (like Gandalf's WinPE, Google it).
2. Boot into it from the BIOS menu.
3. Load a command prompt.
4. Type "diskpart" (no quotes). Wait until you get a prompt like: DISKPART>
5. Enter the following commands:
a. select disk 0
b. list partition
c. select partition xx (where xx is the number of the Windows partition. If it's not labelled, it'll be the one about 36 gigs in size.
d. assign letter=c
e. exit
6. Now just run "bcdboot C:\Windows"
7. Reboot, and you should see Windows in your BIOS menu once more, and the button should pop up on Android as well.
If the Windows partition is not there, and it's just free space, things become more complicated. You'll need to get your hands on the Windows installer image. There is an older version on the Onda website (December 2015) that should do the job - or rather, there's a link to their Baidu account. You can find the more recent version in their account as well. The issue is that Baidu doesn't allow you to download files that large without installing their crapware. I got around it by registering an account and some URL-fu, but it's a PITA, especially if you have a slow connection. There's a Yandex mirror somewhere, but I'm not at home, so I don't have the link right now. I'll post it when I get back. EDIT: Here it is.
After you get the files, DON'T install it; it might wipe your Android install (did for me). There's an issue in their install script that made the command that hides the Android partitions from getting deleted not work. What I did was terminate the automatic install, and selectively apply the relevant portions of the script manually. You could probably do the same, but it could take you a while; took me two days and a bunch of background reading. If you're used to messing with Windows installs though, it'd probably be a cakewalk for you. I'd prepare some instructions for you, or even try and write a script myself using that one as a base, but I have exams right now, and I wouldn't have time for at least a week. If you haven't figured it out by then, just ask, and I'll do it.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

I have resetted my obook 10, it lock on 30% of restore for 2 hours, so i power off tablet. Now when i power on tablet it loop on Onda logo. If i power tablet with Power + Vol- I enter in Q2S menu and select Android that work fine.... I want restore Windows, If I power tablet with Power + down botton I don't enter in bios settings.... How can I fix problem?

Frezza said:
I have resetted my obook 10, it lock on 30% of restore for 2 hours, so i power off tablet. Now when i power on tablet it loop on Onda logo. If i power tablet with Power + Vol- I enter in Q2S menu and select Android that work fine.... I want restore Windows, If I power tablet with Power + down botton I don't enter in bios settings.... How can I fix problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can enter the BIOS menu by connecting a keyboard and holding down ESC while booting up.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

Help
Hi
I have the Gandalf ISO file but need to understand from where do I go from the bios..like boot into the file?
regards
Jon

[email protected] said:
Hi
I have the Gandalf ISO file but need to understand from where do I go from the bios..like boot into the file?
regards
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't remember exactly what it's called, but I think it was the second menu entry - Boot <Something>. In that menu, you should see your USB drive USB EFI device or something like that listed - it might also show the manufacturer name (it showed my USB as a Sandisk). If you don't see it, you may have made a mistake when making the bootable USB - try it again while reading the instructions on Gandalf's site carefully. If you used Rufus to make the bootable, maybe try Unetbootin this time - it worked fine for me.
P.S. In case you meant boot into the file - you can't. You have to write it to a USB drive first. Instructions are on the same site you downloaded it from.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

Can I install Windows 7 by Gandalf on this Tablet?

Frezza said:
Can I install Windows 7 by Gandalf on this Tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install? Maybe, but you wouldn't have any of the necessary drivers, so touch and WiFi and stuff wouldn't work. However, you can download the drivers and try installing them, which might work, though it probably won't since they're made for Windows 10.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

If there is this problem i install windows 10, I download img from link in last post, then i make a usb bootable ( with rufus) with img, then how can I start installation without delete android in other partition?

Frezza said:
If there is this problem i install windows 10, I download img from link in last post, then i make a usb bootable ( with rufus) with img, then how can I start installation without delete android in other partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on certain things, you may be able to just run the installer without doing anything extra. Are you able to boot into Android? Open a CMD window, and run the following commands:
1. diskpart
2. sel disk 0
3. list partition
Post the output of these here. A screenshot will also be OK.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

Hi Have the same problem i'll follow your instructions
I download part1 and 2 from windows 10 folder.
My android install work perfect !

betsesv said:
Hi Have the same problem i'll follow your instructions
I download part1 and 2 from windows 10 folder.
My android install work perfect !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you extract that, you'll get a bunch of files and a DOC in Chinese explaining the procedure to make the recovery disk. Once you've made that, a WARNING before you boot into it: it will automatically open a CMD and start a delay counter, after which it will start the install automatically. Since this might break the Android side, you'll have to cancel it with Control-C in that delay period, which will give you a normal CMD to work with. You can use this to run the commands from my last post. If you want to be extra safe, also download a different WinPE recovery file (like Gandalf - actually you should download this anyway, it has some useful tools you might need later on), and boot into that instead. Depending on the output of those commands, you may be able to just run the automatic installer without worries.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

obook20 crashed
hello all,
my obook10 is in black screen with word shell>> on it. it crashed from android, how i can restore it ? please help!!!

alexander137 said:
hello all,
my obook10 is in black screen with word shell>> on it. it crashed from android, how i can restore it ? please help!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are probably in the internal EFI shell. Power off, connect a keyboard, and hold Fn+ESC while turning it on. This will get you the BIOS menu. Select Boot Manager. Normally, you'll see Android and Windows entries, and you could select one of them to boot, but in your case, you might only see Internal EFI Shell. If this is the case, follow the instructions from my earlier posts, and post the output of those commands. Depending on the result, it might be an easy fix, or a difficult fix. Hopefully, neither of you needs the difficult one, but if you do, I'll try and make a guide when I get time. In the meantime, post the output of the commands.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

SirVer said:
You are probably in the internal EFI shell. Power off, connect a keyboard, and hold Fn+ESC while turning it on. This will get you the BIOS menu. Select Boot Manager. Normally, you'll see Android and Windows entries, and you could select one of them to boot, but in your case, you might only see Internal EFI Shell. If this is the case, follow the instructions from my earlier posts, and post the output of those commands. Depending on the result, it might be an easy fix, or a difficult fix. Hopefully, neither of you needs the difficult one, but if you do, I'll try and make a guide when I get time. In the meantime, post the output of the commands.
Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you!! but i can't shutdown it, when i press powerbutton onda make new line with 'shell>>' , and powerbutton with volume down also don't reboot it. may be i do somthing wrong....

alexander137 said:
thank you!! but i can't shutdown it, when i press powerbutton onda make new line with 'shell>>' , and powerbutton with volume down also don't reboot it. may be i do somthing wrong....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just press it down for a long time, at least 10 seconds, that'll do it. For some reason it takes a really long time to force shutdown. If that doesn't work, then there might be an issue with your hardware. Also try typing the "exit" command - it should put you into the BIOS menu directly.
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Android 9.0 installation in PC - installer does not boot.

I want to dual boot android on my pc. I downloaded the ISO, installed ISO via Rufus. When I boot this flash drive, the live image works fine but when I click on installing it, it just gives me a blank screen. Any suggestions?

xxXPANDER said:
I want to dual boot android on my pc. I downloaded the ISO, installed ISO via Rufus. When I boot this flash drive, the live image works fine but when I click on installing it, it just gives me a blank screen. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GRUB bootloader installed?
Complete guide here.

jwoegerbauer said:
GRUB bootloader installed?
I saw the link. Followed the steps. Stuck after step 5 in the link and cant proceed to step 6. I dont think grub is the issue here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I'm having the same/similar problem (no choice to install is presented)
Context: I use a USB stick with refind to find and boot an android-x86_64-9.0-r2.iso that I have already imaged onto /dev/sda8 (imaged using the linux dd command).
When I use refind and select to boot /dev/sda8, android-x86 boots to the console shell prompt, and then seconds later starts a live run GUI screen. The boot process never stops to present me with a choice of install versus live run, as it should do. And that is my problem.
I'm looking for a workaround. I can switch between console and live GUI using Ctrl-Alt-F1/F7, so I can do command line stuff as root . Anything I can do to kill the live GUI and start the disk installer mode from the console? Name of installer program? Name of GUI is not Xorg or X or anything usual, it seems .
PS: If I knew which distro is underlying android-x86_64-9.0-r2.iso , maybe I could look up some keyboard salute to select installer mode during the boot?

one workaround found
@xxXPANDER, the following may be of interest to you, and @jwoegerbauer, too:
I managed to get the installer going by booting the iso from refind with one trick applied. Details: From refind gui boot, select the iso partition, and then use the hit-key-F2-twice method to edit the refind command line and append the phrase INSTALL=1 and then hit ENTER to boot.
At that point the installer mode came up, rather than the android live GUI mode, and I selected to install according to my plan, onto the empty partition /dev/sda9 with ext4.
I had a surprise that the installer put the data section of the installation on sda6:/android-9.0-r2/data/ (about 180MB), but the rest of the installation on /dev/sda9. Not sure how the installer figured out that I had tried before to do an alien-rpm-based install onto an existing ub18 on sda6. The image I booted was on sda8, and the destination I set was sda9. But still /data ended up on sda6:/android-9.0-r2/data/ . Weird.
Upshot: you need to shoehorn INSTALL=1 into the boot recipe, one way or another. I think the whole problem we're having should be considered a bug, though. It is almost as if the iso checks whether it is being booted from grub2 or not, and if not, jumps straight into live mode. This certainly caused me at least two full days worth of trouble so far, and I see no documentation of this strange behavior. At the very minimum there ought to be some documented keyboard salute that prevents this behavior during a standalone (non-grub2) boot. Maybe someone will disagree, but AT LEAST there should be prominent documentation, say on page https://www.android-x86.org/installhowto.html

Better Mobile App

welcome