Update: Hallelujah, we have seen the birds!
Just for future reference to those of you who may be stuck in an "APX loop", where NVFlashing and even repartioning do not work for you. I tried many things, and only one thing worked.
Didn't work:
1) NVFlashing to anything
2) Repartioning or wiping
3) Wiping out all storage on the SD card
After doing many, many rinse and repeats on the above, the only thing that did work were these instructions:
imurg said:
Please check this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11306979&postcount=92
Note that he is using the NVFLASH_46 and although is has been deprecated, it works like a charm:
1) NVFlash the g tab_46 (it works with 46 and doesn't with other)
2) Let it finish and boot up
3) Go to storage setting and unmount the sd card.
4) Run a format.
5) Go to security and do Restore to factory settings
6) As part of this it will reboot. When restarts you'll see the birds. Everything is back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now, I don't know of too many cases like mine where APX was the only thing that was working and that no amount of CWM or NVFlashing could bring back whatever was wrong with the bootloader, but this method forced a recovery image restore and got me back to the point where I can now power down and reboot. And for that, I thank this fine community!
I think we need a better guide somewhere on... Stages of recovery. If this doesn't work, here's the next deeper level. (Example: Level 1, wipe data/cache and reflash the rom. Level 2: Repartition and fix permissions. Level 3: NVFlash for 1.1 or 1.2 back to stock. Level 4: run the steps I have listed above. Level 5: fixing the bootloader. Level 6: Remove the case cover and short the back.)
Anyways, thanks again guys. Hopefully someone else will search with the same issue I had and get fixed as I have.
try this (not a developer here) when it boots up use your computer to delete all the files on the sd card so it looks blank- not sure if it will fix your issue but if there is a file on there messing your reboot into cwm that should will get rid of it. let me know how it goes. (standard at your own risk disclaimer) i have done this before just to see what would happen and nvflash brought it back up.
Hey, thanks for the reply. The sdcard was already blanked out through my various steps, so that doesn't appear to be the problem. Same things happen.
Now, that's just the app data and such on the sdcard, so I am guessing if I was able to see/delete all the system files instead via USB and delete it that way, I'd see something else.
just to bee clear i would delete everything on there not just the system files- so when you go to the drive from your computer it shows nothing at all.
here are the steps i would take start to finish.
1 nvflash rom
2 connect to computer, mount usb, then highlight and delete all files on gtab.
3 nv flash again (preferably with a stock rom with cmw pre loaded
4 reboot and pray that this fixed it.
OP - What size is the nvflash file you are using? I have run into a similar issue before with the larger nvflash.exe (like 152kb). It should be 140KB.
Just something else to check.
So to clarify, when you nvflash the 3588 stock image, it will automatically reboot at the end of the nvflash_gtablet.bat batch file?
pugsby said:
Hey all. Little frustrated since I've tried most of the tricks and still have a soft-bricked device. Not sure how it happened originally, but one way or another, I have a bad bootloader and no access to CWM.
APX works. I can NVFlash 1.1 or 1.2-based Stock or otherwise roms, and they boot (once, and only once...) . I can get USB mount. I've tried them with and without CWM pre-installed and see no differences.
But as soon as I reboot or power off, it just returns to APX mode. It is only a black screen, however. No birds, no logo, no nothing. The only way to make it boot again is to NVFlash it again.
All the instructions say to enter CWM to re-partition or to wipe data. That's great, but I have no access to CWM. Pressing the buttons during bootup does nothing because the device never makes it that far through bootup. And the format utility doesn't wipe enough data to return this back to a truly blank device, because when I nvflash, my apps still show to be there and I want it back to a blank slate.
I've tried pressing the buttons directly after a NVFlash to enter CWM that way, but it just goes straight into the rom.
Others have suggested popping off the back of the case and grounding out things to reset that way, but I thought that was just if APX didn't work, but APX is the only thing that DOES work, so not sure if it applies. (Let me know if I'm wrong there)
More things to try?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the tablet in APX mode and plugged into your computer...
1) Open a command shell
2) Navigate to your nvflash directory
3) type in the following command but DO NOT hit enter
nvflash --bl bootloader.bin --download 6 part6.img --go
4) Hold down the volume UP key on the tablet and press the enter key on your computer.
5) Continue to hold the volume UP key until the tablet starts the nvflash.
6) Release the volume up key and when the nvflash finishes it should boot into CWM
After you repartition, wipe data, clear cache, etc. it might still loop into APX. If it does you'll need to force it to install a new bootloader. I'll dig up a link to the procedure if you need it.
I'm interested to know what the hell you did to get to the apx bootloop in the first place. I've gone through great lengths to try to replicate people's problems. I've even purposely done things out of order, done things wrong, drop the gtab couple times, etc. and I've never run into this problem.
goodintentions said:
I'm interested to know what the hell you did to get to the apx bootloop in the first place. I've gone through great lengths to try to replicate people's problems. I've even purposely done things out of order, done things wrong, drop the gtab couple times, etc. and I've never run into this problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've worked on quite a few of these and still can't replicate it on my own either. Most of them had flashed an incompatible version of ClockworkMod (usually with ROM Manager) and a few had tried to move from Cyanogen directly to a 1.2 based ROM. A very small minority of them had issues with their internal flash memory. No one consistent thread that ties them all together that I've found. One interesting point though... In every case it was easy to recreate the problem after the tablet had been "Fixed." All I had to do was nvflash with the same image that was traditionally used for returning the devices to stock (bekit 1105).
K J Rad said:
I've worked on quite a few of these and still can't replicate it on my own either. Most of them had flashed an incompatible version of ClockworkMod (usually with ROM Manager) and a few had tried to move from Cyanogen directly to a 1.2 based ROM. A very small minority of them had issues with their internal flash memory. No one consistent thread that ties them all together that I've found. One interesting point though... In every case it was easy to recreate the problem after the tablet had been "Fixed." All I had to do was nvflash with the same image that was traditionally used for returning the devices to stock (bekit 1105).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'v tried rom manager, wrong cwm version, and wrong bootloader. And I still can't replicate this apx bootloop thing. And I have 2 gtabs to work with. A 3rd one should be coming soon. Weird.
Added by edit.
I'm assuming you're some kind of technician or repairman? If so, then it's good that you're telling me this. I've been considering the possibility that this apx bootloop thing is not really an apx bootloop but rather something the user is doing or a button is stuck or something silly like that. Good to know the problem is real.
Mind telling me how you fix this? Since I can't replicate this, I have no idea how to even begin fixing this.
Acidburn find out a solution for this problem
Please check this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11306979&postcount=92
Note that he is using the NVFLASH_46 and although is has been deprecated, it works like a charm:
1) NVFlash the g tab_46 (it works with 46 and doesn't with other)
2) Let it finish and boot up
3) Go to storage setting and unmount the sd card.
4) Run a format.
5) Go to security and do Restore to factory settings
6) As part of this it will reboot. When restarts you'll see the birds. Everything is back to normal.
Good luck
K J Rad said:
With the tablet in APX mode and plugged into your computer...
1) Open a command shell
2) Navigate to your nvflash directory
3) type in the following command but DO NOT hit enter
nvflash --bl bootloader.bin --download 6 part6.img --go
4) Hold down the volume UP key on the tablet and press the enter key on your computer.
5) Continue to hold the volume UP key until the tablet starts the nvflash.
6) Release the volume up key and when the nvflash finishes it should boot into CWM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This got me into CWM (Yay!). This, however, did not fix the APX looping (boo).
I repartitioned, wiped, nvflashed, wiped, repeat. Even though I have more options now with CWM, the end outcome is still the same that after the initial boot, it won't boot again.
BUT, I did find a working method. See the original post.
goodintentions said:
I'm interested to know what the hell you did to get to the apx bootloop in the first place. I've gone through great lengths to try to replicate people's problems. I've even purposely done things out of order, done things wrong, drop the gtab couple times, etc. and I've never run into this problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was hoping you'd respond, goodintentions, as I used your NVFlash files and instructions this last time around from your very handy site.
I'm not sure exactly what happened. I do know that Rom manager was involved somehow, trying to use that integration with recovery. (I know, not recommended, but at first it acted like it would work).
Also, I think a 1.2 Rom was mistakenly flashed on top of a 1.1 bootloader somehow.
The details are fuzzy. It's been so many things since then that who knows..
goodintentions said:
I'v tried rom manager, wrong cwm version, and wrong bootloader. And I still can't replicate this apx bootloop thing. And I have 2 gtabs to work with. A 3rd one should be coming soon. Weird.
Added by edit.
I'm assuming you're some kind of technician or repairman? If so, then it's good that you're telling me this. I've been considering the possibility that this apx bootloop thing is not really an apx bootloop but rather something the user is doing or a button is stuck or something silly like that. Good to know the problem is real.
Mind telling me how you fix this? Since I can't replicate this, I have no idea how to even begin fixing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a tech. Been working with/on/in electronics and computers for roughly 35 years. I had a hard time believing the problem was real until I had one in my hands that was doing it. I've tried doing it to my own tablet but a simple nvflash always got me going again.
imurg said:
Please check this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11306979&postcount=92
Note that he is using the NVFLASH_46 and although is has been deprecated, it works like a charm:
1) NVFlash the g tab_46 (it works with 46 and doesn't with other)
2) Let it finish and boot up
3) Go to storage setting and unmount the sd card.
4) Run a format.
5) Go to security and do Restore to factory settings
6) As part of this it will reboot. When restarts you'll see the birds. Everything is back to normal.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is successful in some cases but not all. In some cases the bootloader has to be updated using factory stock recovery. ClockworkMod and nvflash don't update the bootloader (and I suspect some other system related partitions/information) properly. For those cases the fix is a little more complex. This process...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13474033&postcount=114
has worked on all but one of the tablets I've recovered. The odd one out required an extra reboot (though I was doing the steps from memory and on an unfamiliar computer so I could be mistaken). However... as noted above... a subsequent nvflash of even the same image resulted in another APX loop. The end result was I had to craft a custom nvflash for each of those machines to avoid the problem in the future. That may or may not be necessary for all cases but since it's relatively easy I just do it out of habit now.
Keep in mind that serious APX looping issues are very rare in the grand scheme of things. Many times folks get confused and fail to follow directions properly and think they have a bigger problem than they really do. The overwhelming majority of times a simple nvflash and repartitioning will fix these things right up.
Added: BTW, the best way I've found to avoid the APX loop issue entirely... do a data wipe before you flash a new ROM and then again immediately after and before you boot it for the first time. I know... one should be enough... but if you make it a habit to do two... then you'll probably remember to do at least one of them ;-)
Great info. I shall try not to enter another painful APX loop. I was shocked how many things I had to try and places I had to go before I found a working method. I guess I really did a number on this thing somehow. But I'm happy that it's back.
I didn't have to do the more painful one you mentioned, but honestly I was ready to try about anything short of slaying a dragon.
Related
Im going to lose my mind! I've searched and read and found no real answer..... Is there anyway that I can get my phone out of the boot screen?
Ive downloaded and rooted before and never had a prblm! I download this certain Rom Lastnight and all of a sudden my phone is stuck on the boot screen! I've tried everything i can with it and no luck. Does anyone have some type of info on what i can do or is there no hope for my poor lil droid?
Please let me know!
Thanx in advance!
Have you tried a battery pull? Pop that out and back in, reboot into recovery and restore your nandroid back up. Should be fine from there...
What I do when this happens to me is pull the battery, wipe my phone, re-apply the rom, then reboot.
-If that does not work, then revert back to your nand backup.
Thanks for the ideas but I tried both of those actions first and got nothing in return. This sukks! I even tried to go back and load the PB00img zip tha i had and no go. I'm guessing that i Bricked this dam Phone!
Back to the Blackberry! Damn!
Do you think its possible that i can load a new Rom and try to boot the phone into recovery and flash that zip? The problem seems to be my boot screen! I've seen post with people with similar "situations" <--------lol (not From Jersey shore) and tried those methods and once again nothing.
Sucks that you are still having this issue. The next step I can think of would be if you have SDK set up then once it is stuck on the boot screen, run a logcat and post it here so someone that is smarter than I can figure out where you are running into problems at. You'll need to navigate to your SDK/tools folder (in the Command window of course...) and then once there just type in: adb logcat .
This will result in a myriad of crazy computer language stuff. Should be able to tell us something at least.
First, take a deep breath; your phone is not bricked. Far from it in fact.
Second, prove to yourself that it isn't bricked by booting it into the custom recovery:
Power it off, and then hold down Vol-Up (first) and the End (second); keep pressing both buttons until the three skating droids have appeared. The custom recovery menu should pop up about 10-12 seconds after that.
Third, download "some other certain ROM" (I get to be as vague as you are, right?) to your PC, and get it to the root folder of your SD card somehow. Look up "USB-MS toggle Amon_RA" if you don't already know what that is.
Fourth, flash that "some other certain ROM" and prove to yourself that your phone is not bricked, making sure that you perform a "Wipe data/factory reset" first before you flash the ROM.
Then, after you've shown yourself how it is possible to do these steps, go back and try to figure out why the other "certain ROM" doesn't work on it's first boot. Try popping out the SD card before you boot it to see if that is the trouble.
bftb0
@es0tericcha0s, Thanks for the response but instead of doing more harm to the phone i just took it to VZW, (Kinda) Explained what happen and they switched it out no prob.
@bftb0 lol Be as Vague as possible.... I didn't want to say any particular Rom for the simple fact that who ever did the Rom i'm sure worked hard at it, And evevn tho i'm not new at this, it could very possibly be my mistake somewhere in installing it! SO I choose to respect the XDA and The Dev But thanks for your awesome response! (no Sarcasm intended) lol
I hope I have this in the correct area.
I am running a stock unit with Market and Rothnic enhancement pack. I have not gotten an over the air update since just before Christmas. I finally decided to upgrade to the 4349 software that was posted here. I placed my recovery folder with the command line in it and the update.zip file on my sdcard (internal). Booted up with the vol + and power key and it started to upload correctly. When it tried to reboot on it's own, it hung on the "n" screen for over 45 minutes. I manually shut it down. Retried to start it and nothing. Now, if I let it go normally it gets hung up at the "n" screen and does not proceed after this. If I try to force it to go to the recovery mode it just sits there with the little messages saying a recovery key was detected.
What can I do to reload my software? It seems like it can't find the operating system? I do have an external memory card. Can that be used to boot the system from?
Any help would be appreciated. Please keep in mind that I am not Android gifted.
I just found a post from butchconner in another area that may help me. I will try to reboot from them memory card. I will let you know if it worked.
guitar geek said:
I hope I have this in the correct area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You posted this in the wrong section. The Q/A forum section is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1101
To answer your question, you need to NVFLASH back to stock. Follow directions found here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861950
Thank you. I have just tried to reboot from the memory card with out success. I will try the NVFLASH but I am curious how this will work since it will not load from the memory card.
OK I have followed the text. One problem. When I connect the tablet to my PC I hear a ding. I go to my device manager and I see a NVIDA tegra 2 device. I do not have any APX listings and no exclaimantion points. When I run the nvflash program it says USB device not found Press enter to continue. I have attempted to update the drive on the Tegra 2 device but it says the drivers already installed are newer than the one I am trying to load and it stops. So what should I try to do now.
Moved to Q&A.
Eureka Success. The instructions were very clear. Unfortunately, I can't read. I completely skipped over the volume down button. That is why I did not have the APX mode. It is downloading 3588 now. Thanks again dzasta for pointing me in the right direction. And special thanks to roebeet for setting up the cheat sheet.
Glad everything worked out. NVFLASH is a great utility when stuff gets real messed up. Saved me a bunch of times and once you have it all setup, its so easy to use.
Okay, I think I'm completely hosed. But I thought I would ask if anyone has a solution. Here's the deal.
I was running the new stock 5274 on 1.2, went to turn on the tab and it wouldn't power up. This has happened before so I cracked the case, pulled the battery connector and plugged it back in then shorted A4 and powered up into APX. I ran NVFlash for the stock 4349 based image, figuring that I could then update it again after I loaded Clockwork. I've done this a bunch of times before, never had a problem. Until this morning.
When I try and run NVFlash, every time on part7.img I get "Failed to verify partition command failure: create failed" and NV stops dead in its tracks. I also tried to run the Format tool, which I've also done before, and get the same error at the same place. In fact, no matter what flash and try to run, 1.1 or 1.2 BL, NV bombs out at part7.img.
I'm at a loss. The only way to get the tab to power on is to short A4 into APX, but I can't flash anything. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Ronin916 said:
When I try and run NVFlash, every time on part7.img I get "Failed to verify partition command failure: create failed" and NV stops dead in its tracks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like you've developed some bad blocks on the NAND flash. Just skip loading that part7.img, then.
On most gTabs, partition 7 is the /misc (MSC in nvflash) partition which is not used by most ROMs (GtabComb uses it to create a single log file). So, it doesn't matter if this partition is not written by nvflash.
On some gTabs (like mine), partition 7 holds the .bmp file for the first splash screen (VS's 3 Gouldian finches). This, too, is not important. You'll just not get that first splash screen.
Just erase the partition, if you can, using the erase_image program in CWM after you restore the remaining partitions using nvflash.
Thanks for the tip. I tried removing part7.img from NV, but now it bombs on part9.img with a NvError 0x30012. So, that's a no-go, and now I can't even get into APX. Maybe the battery died, so I'm going to charge to full and see what happens. Still could use suggestions, though.
EDIT: Well, color me confused. The battery was dead, so I gave it a good 4 hour charge to full. Then I cracked the case and was able to get back into APX. I have NVFlash and the 1.2 4349 load here, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Sure enough, it ran through NV without an issue, and I'm back to stock 4349. Not one hint of an error. Dunno....maybe the tablet gods decided to smile down upon my today. All I know is, I'm back up. Don't know how....don't know why....just is.
so im pretty much a noob to this website and my g tablet but heres my problem
i was stuck at the bootloader (those frickin birds) so i decided to nvflash to get it back to normal, i followed the instructions step by step and it seemed to work, it booted normally and i thought all was good untill it randomly turned off, so i plugged it back into the computer and held the power button and i heard it connect so i nvflashed again and the white writing popped up, it finished, it got to the g tab screen then turned off again. i let it die last night and i just went to turn it on and nothing. help please
Sgt,
You may have to crack open the case and pull the power connection for a few seconds and then plug it back in. Seems like every tab is a little different, but you can reference this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1118087
Maybe that gets you back up into APX at least.
thanks for the help unfortunantly it didnt do anything, i think im stuck in apx mode because i can still nv flash, every time i do it goes straight to gtab screen then shuts off, i turn it back on and i can flash but nothing else
You may want to try this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1030042
It shows you how to NVFlash Clockwork. If you can then get into that, you could repartition and format you GTab, then load the ROM of your choice.
Posting here in hopes to expand help request.
deleted...
10char..
ok i nvflashed cwm and i believe it worked but i still cant get into it, the moment i turn on my tablet i dont get any load screens it just goes into apx mode thats it
I have gotten a g tab from my father in law after he tried to fix it and ended up buying a new one saying "if u can fix it you can have it" I have tried for hours and days to fix it on my own and have now tried to reach out for help
Basic problem:
-When I got the device it would boot to birds and go to g-tablet screen and no further
-Found viewsonic gtablet for dummies tried nearly everything (i believe correctly)
-Called G Tablet Support and got the "send it in to us and we can add the correct software for $60 if there is no problems otherwise the $$ may go up"
-went back to trying to fix on my own
-failed
Basic info:
-able to NVFlash with 0 errors on any packet
-can boot to g-tablet screen but no further
-can boot power & Vol+/vol- no issue
-cannot partition
-cannot wipe data/ factory reset
-can install zip from SD
Help! any ideas are worth a shot when it means (possibly) a free tablet. Eager to fix and try most ideas to get this thing fixed!
Also, This seemed to me a repost but i have looked at, tried, and failed to fix with several different posts/ideas from this site
I've seen a number of posts suggesting that you power off, open the back, pull the battery, wait a few minutes, plug the battery back in and turn it back on. It seemed to work for a number of people.
There is also a reset switch under the back cover.
I honestly don't know if one of these will work, but it's worth a try.
Can't suggest which rom you might try, since there's no way to tell which bootloader you have (v1.1 or 1.2).
I'll have to try pulling the battery plug tomorrow I don't have small enough tools. But I do know that im running 1.2 got that much outta tech support before they went grabbing for mytwallet lol
Here's a thread that explains how to open the GTab. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=994881
If you are on 1.2 (and are absolutely sure) you might want to start with http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525424 to get the latest recovery ClockWork. Do this after you "pull the plug".
If it doesn't work after that, come back and let me know and I'll try to do some more troubleshooting with you. Since you said you actually had NVFlash working before, this might actually get you up and running on the latest stock rom. From there, you can move up to just about anything you want, upto and including Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). Just remember to check the forum information about what does not work. For example, if you move up to Gingerbread (3.x) or greater, there is a pretty good chance that you won't have camera or mic support at this time. Some roms don't support hardware acceleration at this point, but many do.
Anyway, come back and let me know how it went.
Awesome thanks. I'll be getting into that soon (after I finish cleaning) just wanted to thank you for your interest in helping me
Hey! finally got around to it but pulled the plug and grabbed that cwm recovery u had linked but i'm still hangin on the g-tablet screen. any other ideas?
I'm guessing that the tech support for GTab was wrong and you actually have a 1.1 boot loader.
Try following the thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=974422 on formatting the gtablet and starting over from scratch.
Gregwa
what 1.1 should i use?
Cmdrbubbles said:
what 1.1 should i use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no reason to go out of the way to figure out what Bootloader you have. the NVflash files that you found on the ViewSonic Gtablet for Dummies guide will be your best bet. If you can get grab the NVflash files that include CWM recovery those are the ones you need. After NVflash is complete and you see the Gtablet splash screen press and hold the power button till the tablet shuts down. Once shut down you need to reboot into recovery by pressing down the volume + and press the power button to boot up. That should get you into CWM where you need to do a wipe data fatory reset, wipe cache and also wipe dalvic cache under the advance menu. Once that is complete then you need to back out to the main menu in CWM and reboot. Make sure that you do not select Reboot Recovery. Give the device some time and it should boot into the Stock TapUI where you can mess around with it from there.
I would choose 1.2 build 4349 w/CWM preinstalled (Old) NVflash file found here http://viewsonic-gtablet-for-dummie...65610&fw_sig_premium=0&fb_sig_network=fw#2310
Many times in the past the wipe data/ factory reset and wipe dalvik and most anybody those options lock up the tablet. It will just hang on the screen (depending on the option chosen) and not move from there for hours on end... Thoughts on why? Hoping not a hard drive problem
Cmdrbubbles said:
Basic info:
-cannot partition
-cannot wipe data/ factory reset
-can install zip from SD
Help! any ideas are worth a shot when it means (possibly) a free tablet. Eager to fix and try most ideas to get this thing fixed!
Also, This seemed to me a repost but i have looked at, tried, and failed to fix with several different posts/ideas from this site
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need to get your partitioning working. You can boot into recovery? And what happens when you attempt to partition.
If you are able to go past the 3 birds splash screen and see the gtablet screen, then you're on the stock ROM and the problem is most likely with the partitions on the internal SD card (or the card itself). In which case, nvflash will not help you.
Set up ADB and then run these 2 commands and post the output after you've tried one of those operations you mentioned in your 1st post:
Code:
C:\SOME\PATH> [B]adb shell dmesg > dmesg.txt[/B]
C:\SOME|PATH> [B]adb pull /tmp/recovery.log[/B]
Ok, girlfriend bought a used TF201, it had some version of cynogen mod installed that was too unstable for her to use. Android was 4.1.1, so I began/completed the nvflash backup instructions
After the files were safe and stored triplicate, I flashed TWRP 2.3.3.0, and attempted to install androwookie 1.51. The device had the cache, dalvik cache, and a factory reset performed. The install was completed without a hitch, upon rebooting, the wookie pops up for a few seconds and i eventually get kicked out back into TWRP.
I can not acess ADB mode (I think), when I boot with the Volume Down pressed, it has no options and boots to recovery in ~5 seconds. I have attempted to restore with nvflash files but for whatever the reason I can not get the thing to boot back up. I have also attempted to use the 'how-to unbrick' guide without success
I have attempted to revert to the stock JB files but those fail to boot as well and im forced to flash TWRP again. Clearly im a noob, and I need some help, anything would be appreciated before she does something horrible to me
Ive been messing with this for so many hours im burned out. I eventually was able to reflash the stock ICS roms on to the device, and it booted up a nasty wookie/asus ics hybrid. I attempted to run the OTA update, and it failed... I think this is now a 'hard brick'.
I have the nvflash files, an unblobed JB, unblobed ICS, androwookie, the JB/ICS versions of twrp, and ran through hundreds of pages of information that didn't end up helping. Now when I try to get wheelie to bootstrap it gets stuck at 100%, the tablet doesn't light up, maybe I had a bad flash im not sure...
My guess is that you are trying to install androwook with the ICS bootloader. You have to install the stock jellybean ROM first (from asus's website...unzip it once after you download...extracted file should be another zip...use this extracted zip file to install the os. After that reinstall twrp for jellybean, then install androwook.
laggyprime said:
My guess is that you are trying to install androwook with the ICS bootloader. You have to install the stock jellybean ROM first (from asus's website...unzip it once after you download...extracted file should be another zip...use this extracted zip file to install the os. After that reinstall twrp for jellybean, then install androwook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly when attempting to go into apx mode the device is recognized by my pc, but when bootstrapping? To get into nvflash mode wheelie gets stuck sending the file 100%. I think I flashed something wrong (was typing commands by hand) and mixed up a 5 with a 4... Anyways the screen won't even display anything at all anymore, it's blank. Do I need to contact asus now, or is there a way to get wheelie/nvflash working?
DocCox said:
Sadly when attempting to go into apx mode the device is recognized by my pc, but when bootstrapping? To get into nvflash mode wheelie gets stuck sending the file 100%. I think I flashed something wrong (was typing commands by hand) and mixed up a 5 with a 4... Anyways the screen won't even display anything at all anymore, it's blank. Do I need to contact asus now, or is there a way to get wheelie/nvflash working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest you contact the dev's in the nvflash thread first... being very poilte of course since in your situation you need all the friends you can get. If they can get you back to ics then go to the hairy bean (androwook) thread, the OP should have all the info you need to go up to jellybean. You should be able to go directly from ics to jb by following the instructions of course. If you have questions prior to making the leap, ask in the thread, the folks there are quite helpful.
Gage_Hero said:
I suggest you contact the dev's in the nvflash thread first... being very poilte of course since in your situation you need all the friends you can get. If they can get you back to ics then go to the hairy bean (androwook) thread, the OP should have all the info you need to go up to jellybean. You should be able to go directly from ics to jb by following the instructions of course. If you have questions prior to making the leap, ask in the thread, the folks there are quite helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A very good suggestion, I dont have high hopes for this transformer but it would be nice to see it come back to life. I looked over the 60 something pages of posts in the dev thread but can't post there because i lack the minimum post count. I don't see people with the inability (recently) to get their prime to switch over to nvflash mode using a wheelie bootstrap unless they missed something obvious. As mine was working for 12 solid hours of trying to restore its clear I flashed something wrong, but the nvflash,adb,etc installs are fine.
I will attempt to send a PM, and hope for the best. Thank you Gage_Hero
DocCox said:
A very good suggestion, I dont have high hopes for this transformer but it would be nice to see it come back to life. I looked over the 60 something pages of posts in the dev thread but can't post there because i lack the minimum post count. I don't see people with the inability (recently) to get their prime to switch over to nvflash mode using a wheelie bootstrap unless they missed something obvious. As mine was working for 12 solid hours of trying to restore its clear I flashed something wrong, but the nvflash,adb,etc installs are fine.
I will attempt to send a PM, and hope for the best. Thank you Gage_Hero
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, for a start if you have the files you created doing nvflash backed up you can always save the device.
Can you still get to fastboot by holding down the power button and volume down button for about 10 seconds until the icons appear?
flumpster said:
Ok, for a start if you have the files you created doing nvflash backed up you can always save the device.
Can you still get to fastboot by holding down the power button and volume down button for about 10 seconds until the icons appear?
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Click to collapse
Hearing that is great
Heres the current situation, I mistyped a 5 with a 4 and told the unit to restart.
So
Power Vol+ = computer recognizes APX mode - however wheelie sends the blob and gets stuck at 100%
Power = Blank screen. HDMI also has no output.
Power Vol- = Blank screen, HDMI has no output.
Using the reset button, i receive the same results
I may be the only idiot to ever brick a prime this hard
DocCox said:
Hearing that is great
Heres the current situation, I mistyped a 5 with a 4 and told the unit to restart.
So
Power Vol+ = computer recognizes APX mode - however wheelie sends the blob and gets stuck at 100%
Power = Blank screen. HDMI also has no output.
Power Vol- = Blank screen, HDMI has no output.
Using the reset button, i receive the same results
I may be the only idiot to ever brick a prime this hard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try following the instructions in this post. If wheelie is still failing try another computer.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1927818&highlight=nvflash
flumpster said:
Try following the instructions in this post. If wheelie is still failing try another computer.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1927818&highlight=nvflash
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 4 always results in the same issue. I have also tried older versions of the universal drivers without success.
Wheelie sends the file, reaches 100%, returns to the next line and remains blank. After sending the command, attempting to send it again from another window (or to send additional commands) the device will not communicate until it is restarted.
I have attempted this on all 3 machines I own (2x windows 7 x64, and a windows 7 X86)
In the past the apx commands worked fine but ever since I messed up the flash and told the device to restart it has had this issue . I have also drained the battery down and attempted to get it working again, and finally opened the device and turned off the mb power and flipped it back on without a change in results.
I also downloaded and ran a linux live CD to run the commands and it was unsuccessful. The screen always remains blank and wheelie always sends 100% and stops.
I appreciate the assistance flumpster
DocCox said:
Step 4 always results in the same issue. I have also tried older versions of the universal drivers without success.
Wheelie sends the file, reaches 100%, returns to the next line and remains blank. After sending the command, attempting to send it again from another window (or to send additional commands) the device will not communicate until it is restarted.
I have attempted this on all 3 machines I own (2x windows 7 x64, and a windows 7 X86)
In the past the apx commands worked fine but ever since I messed up the flash and told the device to restart it has had this issue . I have also drained the battery down and attempted to get it working again, and finally opened the device and turned off the mb power and flipped it back on without a change in results.
I also downloaded and ran a linux live CD to run the commands and it was unsuccessful. The screen always remains blank and wheelie always sends 100% and stops.
I appreciate the assistance flumpster
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 4 isn't really doing anything except putting you into nvflash mode ready to run the next commands.
When it says " 2. Extract wheelie, nvFlash and the unblob'd ROM to a directory (avoid spaces in the directory path)" are you also putting all the files you backed up when you did the nvflash process in the first place in the same folder?
flumpster said:
Step 4 isn't really doing anything except putting you into nvflash mode ready to run the next commands.
When it says " 2. Extract wheelie, nvFlash and the unblob'd ROM to a directory (avoid spaces in the directory path)" are you also putting all the files you backed up when you did the nvflash process in the first place in the same folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I copied all of the backed up files into the same directory. Its where all the files are, TWRPJB and TWRPICS, three seperate roms, adb files, etc. Step 4 is (if im remembering correctly, im currently not at home) when the device actually enters nvflash mode - which it fails to do, and the cmd window just sits there. The directory all the files are placed into are c:\android just to keep it simple for me
DocCox said:
Yes, I copied all of the backed up files into the same directory. Its where all the files are, TWRPJB and TWRPICS, three seperate roms, adb files, etc. Step 4 is (if im remembering correctly, im currently not at home) when the device actually enters nvflash mode - which it fails to do, and the cmd window just sits there. The directory all the files are placed into are c:\android just to keep it simple for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in bed at the moment but give me a shout later when you're home and I'll run the commands myself again and see exactly what happens.
But basically wheelie should just use the file you backed up from before on step 4 to enter nvflash mode so nothing should go wrong at that point.
flumpster said:
I'm in bed at the moment but give me a shout later when you're home and I'll run the commands myself again and see exactly what happens.
But basically wheelie should just use the file you backed up from before on step 4 to enter nvflash mode so nothing should go wrong at that point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You betcha, thank you sir
ok so ive reinstalled everything, grabbed one of my backup blobs just in case something went wrong with the one ive been using
Heres a screenshot of what the window looks like after an hour of waiting
{
"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"
}
is there a next step other than contacting asus?
DocCox said:
Ok, girlfriend bought a used TF201, it had some version of cynogen mod installed that was too unstable for her to use. Android was 4.1.1, so I began/completed the nvflash backup instructions
After the files were safe and stored triplicate, I flashed TWRP 2.3.3.0, and attempted to install androwookie 1.51. The device had the cache, dalvik cache, and a factory reset performed. The install was completed without a hitch, upon rebooting, the wookie pops up for a few seconds and i eventually get kicked out back into TWRP.
I can not acess ADB mode (I think), when I boot with the Volume Down pressed, it has no options and boots to recovery in ~5 seconds. I have attempted to restore with nvflash files but for whatever the reason I can not get the thing to boot back up. I have also attempted to use the 'how-to unbrick' guide without success
I have attempted to revert to the stock JB files but those fail to boot as well and im forced to flash TWRP again. Clearly im a noob, and I need some help, anything would be appreciated before she does something horrible to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for nothing, and please moderate my knowledge, but I can sell you mine ( unlocked, with Twrp installed, running Hairy Bean 1.5.1 tweaked.... no glitches, score 15,000 on AnTutu....PM me, I'll make the sale and guarantee it's valuable!
Inserted 20ยข for the first three minutes
DocCox said:
ok so ive reinstalled everything, grabbed one of my backup blobs just in case something went wrong with the one ive been using
Heres a screenshot of what the window looks like after an hour of waiting
is there a next step other than contacting asus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guessing you didnt go back to flumpster... he can help you.... I think you are still safe but dont experiment....
Im unbricked but apparently not out of the woods. Updating past 4.0 seems to be impossible for me right now.
The command to force this type of brick back into nvflash mode is
Code:
wheelie -r --blob blob.bin
Notice it requires "-r" to be added. That was it!
Yea, I just wasted so many hours on this I could have purchased a new tablet. If I had hair I would have pulled it out of my head already!
The first boot looked good, the tegra was bottom right but was stuck loading, I installed TWRP for JB and put myself into another brick. Long story short, I have ICS running 4.0.3, but cant update for the life of me. The screen will go blank (original brick style) or gets into a boot loop or has the unrecoverable boot error
Ive tried just using the update from asus (US version, as is tablet) and it always appears to update correctly (blue progress bar) but never ends up booting. I tried getting out of the boot loop using a guide here and it wasn't effective. I also tried flashing one of the unblobed 4.0's and it didn't work either. Every time ive been forced to reflash 4.0.3. This has/is a learning process for me, my tf700 updates fine and I can flash between roms but I cant get this darn tf201 to do anything without bricking. My ultimate goal here is to get a stable version 1.51 Androwook w/ the 1.7 and data2sd enabled. Anybody willing to hold my hand from my current 4.0.3 state to the final completion?
DocCox said:
Im unbricked but apparently not out of the woods. Updating past 4.0 seems to be impossible for me right now.
The command to force this type of brick back into nvflash mode is
Code:
wheelie -r --blob blob.bin
Notice it requires "-r" to be added. That was it!
Yea, I just wasted so many hours on this I could have purchased a new tablet. If I had hair I would have pulled it out of my head already!
The first boot looked good, the tegra was bottom right but was stuck loading, I installed TWRP for JB and put myself into another brick. Long story short, I have ICS running 4.0.3, but cant update for the life of me. The screen will go blank (original brick style) or gets into a boot loop or has the unrecoverable boot error
Ive tried just using the update from asus (US version, as is tablet) and it always appears to update correctly (blue progress bar) but never ends up booting. I tried getting out of the boot loop using a guide here and it wasn't effective. I also tried flashing one of the unblobed 4.0's and it didn't work either. Every time ive been forced to reflash 4.0.3. This has/is a learning process for me, my tf700 updates fine and I can flash between roms but I cant get this darn tf201 to do anything without bricking. My ultimate goal here is to get a stable version 1.51 Androwook w/ the 1.7 and data2sd enabled. Anybody willing to hold my hand from my current 4.0.3 state to the final completion?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get it back to where you have it working and add me on Google talk on computer.
I will pm you my email for it now.
Also you need to know that I'm UK and we seem to be missing each other time wise so you might have to do this earlier in the day for you.
flumpster is the man. I can't say enough for this guy, he spent countless hours helping me through this unique brick (and lost a nights sleep over it!) when so many others had no interest or were straight up hostile when contacted for help via pm's. My girlfriends tablet is running androwook right now, and I get to sleep in the bed agian!
For others, the brick resulted in anything not ICS resulting in fatal bootloops, impossible to recover from. Power and Volume down resulted in no options avaliable, and unless flashed manually nothing would install. The twrp's would crash repeatedly when sideloaded, installing, using external SD cards, or doing anything but sitting on the home screen. Not sure what caused the issues, not sure how to reproduce it, but flumpster still guided me through the process. The only solution was working with nvflash through linux to gain acess to more advanced commands, and with the knowledge I gleaned from this wizzard I was able to complete the process. Many thanks flumpster.
/me off to bed finally!