Related
Update:
I was able to use this method to root the new ICS update. The thread has been edited accordingly.
----------------------------------------------
I was unable to find a single thread that detailed how to root the stock T-Mobile Springboard firmware and keep the boot and recovery partitions intact to allow future updates, so I have consolidated information from other threads and posts, as well as adding a little myself. Full credit goes to the users and thread OP's referenced in the post links below.
The usual warnings apply: Under no circumstances should anyone do this to their device. You are likely to brick your device and render it completey unusable. In addition, you will void your warantee with T-Mobile. So you will have an out-of-warantee brick instead of a nice, functional tablet. Turn back now while there is still time.
Before you begin, I obviously did this to my device without any problems. My device is running full stock T-Mobile Springboard firmware with the following:
Android version: 4.0.3
Baseband version: 314007
Kernel version: 3.0.8
Build number: S7-303uV100R002C201B035
I do not know if it will work on a device with any other version of the firmware. The following also assumes that you have fastboot and ADB installed and functional on your computer.
In describing how to boot into fastboot and recovery modes below, the description of the volume buttons is how they are while in portrait mode in Honeycomb....as this is where I first used this method. In other words, the volume button closer to the power button is volume up and the other volume button is volume down.
1. Download the CWM Recovery image from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=23601045&postcount=7
2. Download CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27678611&postcount=22
3. Copy the CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip file to an sdcard and put the card in your device.
4. Flash the CWM recovery image to your first recovery partition ONLY:
a.) Boot into fastboot by powering down the device and starting it back up by pressing the
volume up and power buttons at the same time. After the device vibrates, release the
power button but keep holding the volume button until it is booted into fastboot.
b.) Once in fastboot, flash the recovery image:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery5.5.0.4.img
5. Press and hold the power key for 10 seconds to reboot the device. It will boot into the
T-mobile firmware.
6. Power down the device in the usual fashion.
7. Boot into recovery by starting the device back up by pressing the volume down and power
buttons at the same time. After the device vibrates, release the power button but keep
holding the volume button until it is booted into CWM Recovery.
8. Choose 'install zip from sdcard' -> 'choose zip from sdcard', then select the
CWM-SuperSU-v0.95.zip file you put on your sdcard above, then confirm installation.
9. Go back to the main menu and select 'reboot system now'. It will boot into the T-Mobile
firmware.
10. Shut the device down again in the usual fashion, then restart normally and boot into the
T-Mobile firmware again.
11. Now you need to get your stock recovery partition back and get rid of CWM recovery.
There are two copies of the stock recovery- one on each 'recovery' and 'recovery2'. You can
get back to stock recovery by extracting an image from 'recovery2' and flashing it back to
'recovery'. The following (using adb from your computer) will dump the image from recovery2
to your sdcard:
Code:
adb shell
su
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p18 of=/mnt/sdcard2/recovery.img
12. Take the sd card out of your device and copy this file back to your computer, then flash the
first recovery partition with this image as in step 4b above, but with your new recovery.img file.
You are now rooted and your recovery partitions are returned to stock.
Once you are rooted, if you would like to remove some of the T-Mobile bloatware note that the apk files are not in the usual location (/system/app). I found them tucked away in the following directory:
/data/cust/app
Of course, you will need an app like Root Explorer to get to them and delete them...or you can just use adb. I deleted several of the apk files in that directory, rebooted, and everything is working just fine...with less bloatware.
Also, be aware that any changes you make will be permanent. I tried hard reseting the device through the usual android settings menu security method, and I kept root and all of my deleted bloatware was still gone after it finished and rebooted. There does not appear to be a way to get all of your stock stuff back once you start deleting things...so make backups of files before you delete them in case removing them causes unexpected consequences.
Just to add another bit of information - a list of what I believe are the internal partitions and their locations appears below. I got this from the output from 'cat /proc/partitions' and 'mount', as well as further inspection of the stock recovery image that I extracted from my device. As we don't have a functional CWM Recovery, and I am not sure that I would use any version that was built for the Mediapad (i.e. non-Springboard) for backup and restoring, this list should give Springboard users a way to back up their devices. Using the 'dd' command as in the coding box at the bottom of the OP for each of the paritions should result in a partition image stored out on the sdcard. Fastboot then should be able to flash these 'backed up' images back to the device as in step 4b of the OP...with the correct partition names and backup files substituted of course. I did do this for the recovery partition as I detailed in the OP, but have not tried it for the rest of the partitions.
Code:
/misc emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p14
/vrcb emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p16
/recovery emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p17
/recovery2 emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p18
/boot emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p19
/system ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p20
/cache ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p22
/cust ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p15
/data ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p27
/tmpdata ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p23
/persist ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p21
/tombstones ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p24
/firmware ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
Thanks
Many ty's for this.
Thanks you help me rooted my Springboard. Have you try the MediaPad Phone app can we use the tablet for calling? :good:
Do I have to do step 11 ?
Sent from my SpringBoard using XDA Premium App
---------- Post added at 06:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 PM ----------
robkaos said:
Do I have to do step 11 ?
Sent from my SpringBoard using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also can I do it without PC?
Sent from my SpringBoard using XDA Premium App
Can I use the recovery image from the update that is still on my sd card,what is the difference between the I've springboard .rar, and the su files
Sent from my SpringBoard using XDA Premium App
robkaos said:
Do I have to do step 11 ?
......
Also can I do it without PC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do not return your recovery partition to stock, then you will not be able to install future firmware updates from T-Mobile as their updates rely on the stock recovery. So no, you don't have to return your recovery partition to stock, but if you don't you will not be able to install future T-Mobile updates. As far as doing this without a computer - you can use a terminal emulator on your Springboard to create the recovery image from 'recovery2'....the commands should be the same. However, you need to fastboot flash that image back to 'recovery', which you must do from your computer with your device in fastboot mode.
robkaos said:
Can I use the recovery image from the update that is still on my sd card....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if you extract the recovery image from the official T-Mobile update package, you can use this image to flash 'recovery' back to stock when you are done.
Some people have reported that they are unable to boot into CWM recovery if it is flashed only to 'recovery' and not also to 'recovery2'. It is my experience that the device seems to alternate which recovery partition it boots into when you sequentially boot it into recovery mode. When I have CWM on 'recovery' and the stock recovery on 'recovery2', my device will boot into CWM every other time I boot into recovery mode. The other times it boots into the stock recovery. If you can't get CWM recovery to appear when you boot into recovery mode, you could do things a bit different than the instructions. Extract the stock recovery image from the official T-Mobile update package. Store this away on your computer. Then, instead of only flashing 'recovery' with CWM recovery, also flash 'recovery2'. Once you are done rooting the device, use your stored image of the stock recovery to flash 'recovery' and 'recovery2' back to stock.
Originally, I used this method to root Honeycomb. I did not have the T-Mobile update package for Honeycomb and so could not simply extract the stock recovery image from that package. You cannot use the 'dd' command as in step 11 above until you are rooted to dump the image of 'recovery2'. So, without a copy of the update package I could not get an image of my recovery partition without already being rooted. But to root, I have to overwrite my recovery partition with CWM recovery, thereby making it impossible to dump a copy of the stock recovery as I had wiped it out and replaced it with CWM. The solution was to only flash one of the recovery partitions and keep the other one as a backup until the device was rooted and the image could then be extracted.
robkaos said:
...what is the difference between the I've springboard .rar, and the su files
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what you are asking here...please clarify.
I haVe found two different root files one su zip and the other is for media pad orange Tahiti ,andspringbord .rar which is the difference?there is not a one click Method like motor defy? My phone wasn't such a problem
Sent from my SpringBoard using XDA Premium App
robkaos said:
I haVe found two different root files one su zip and the other is for media pad orange Tahiti ,andspringbord .rar which is the difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about the root files for the Mediapad. I know there is a package that contains the su files and a Windows-based command file that contains a string of adb commands that is supposed to work to root both the Mediapad and the Springboard. I think what you are talking about can be found at either one of these locations:
http://www.modaco.com/topic/354579-...-mediapad-t-mobile-springboard-orange-tahiti/
http://www.gamefront.com/files/22185176/Huawei+MediaPad+ROOT+ICS+Android+4.0.x.rar
I tried to use this, and got a 'premission denied' fail pretty early on. I run Linux on my desktop, so perhaps this works under Windows with the specific Springboard drivers and interface software installed, but it sure does not work in Linux. I came up with my method (or rather consolidated the information for 'my' method from multiple other sources) as a result of having this root method fail for me.
robkaos said:
...there is not a one click Method like motor defy? My phone wasn't such a problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the files that I linked above work for you, then this is going to be about as close to a 'one-click' method as you can get. Unless you modified it, your Motorola Defy is running Android 2.1 (Eclair). This version of Android can be rooted pretty much just by yelling 'ROOT!' at your phone. There is even an app in the market that can be installed and run on an Android v2.1 device that provides a one-click root without the use of a computer. All of the exploits that were used for these one-click root methods were patched in Android v3+. Pretty much every device needs its own unique root method now, and the only way it is a one-click method is if someone has constructed a command script to execute all of the needed commands for you, as in the linked packages above.
xdajunkman said:
Also, be aware that any changes you make will be permanent. I tried hard reseting the device through the usual android settings menu security method, and I kept root and all of my deleted bloatware was still gone after it finished and rebooted. There does not appear to be a way to get all of your stock stuff back once you start deleting things...so make backups of files before you delete them in case removing them causes unexpected consequences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to point out - now that the Springboard ICS update is out, and the zip has been captured and archived - there is a backup of complete stock ICS available. Every single partition is in there including system and cust. So worst case scenario if you bork it by zapping the wrong file in system or cust, you can reflash that partition from the bootloader.
Thanks for the clarification
Sent from my SpringBoard using XDA Premium App
cmstlist said:
Just to point out - now that the Springboard ICS update is out, and the zip has been captured and archived - there is a backup of complete stock ICS available. Every single partition is in there including system and cust. So worst case scenario if you bork it by zapping the wrong file in system or cust, you can reflash that partition from the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are, of course, correct. That statement of mine is now outdated...you can delete things to your hearts desire. If you mess something up, just reflash the firmware and start over.
Just finished rooting my MediaPad from t-mobile. I had to install into recovery one and two so now I have no original recovery but I don't really care, I've got the latest Android Ice Cream update beforehand. What usefull apps with root access do I need now? I've got ad free and ROM Toolbox. Was there a phone app that I could use now?
Failed updates and can't recover - PLEASE HELP!
xdajunkman said:
You are, of course, correct. That statement of mine is now outdated...you can delete things to your hearts desire. If you mess something up, just reflash the firmware and start over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, unfortunately, I've messed things up. Here's what happened:
1) I received the OTA update and everything went fine with upgrading the my T-mobile Springboard tab to ICS 4.0.3
2) I then got brave and went ahead with rooting and installing SU using the technique described in "Root Stock T-Mobile Springboard" by xdajunkman. That worked fine and I was able to get CWM recovery installed.
3) I then tried to install the [ROM][ICS] [Unofficial] Root-ready Huawei/Springboard International ROM and downloaded the dload folder to my SDCard, etc. I tried using the dload folder with the ulmt.cfg file in it and that failed with a "Installation aborted" message. I then removed that file and tried to go into CWM and tried "Install from zip" approach. Same thing...installation aborted message.
4) So, then I did the next stupid thing...in CWM, I formatted my /system, /data, and /cache. That was a big mistake! I now have officially bricked by tab.
5) I tried to get rid of CWM recovery by extracting the recovery.img file from the stock rom zip file. I fastboot flashed that to the recovery and recovery2 partitions. I then thought, let me try extracting the update.zip from the stock rom zip and put that on the root of my sdcard and tried to install that. No go...it just says, update failed with a big red "FAIL" message in the center.
Any and all help would be immensely appreciated! How can I get back to some sort of working ROM? Please!
Thanks!
knightpawn said:
Well, unfortunately, I've messed things up. Here's what happened:
1) I received the OTA update and everything went fine with upgrading the my T-mobile Springboard tab to ICS 4.0.3
2) I then got brave and went ahead with rooting and installing SU using the technique described in "Root Stock T-Mobile Springboard" by xdajunkman. That worked fine and I was able to get CWM recovery installed.
3) I then tried to install the [ROM][ICS] [Unofficial] Root-ready Huawei/Springboard International ROM and downloaded the dload folder to my SDCard, etc. I tried using the dload folder with the ulmt.cfg file in it and that failed with a "Installation aborted" message. I then removed that file and tried to go into CWM and tried "Install from zip" approach. Same thing...installation aborted message.
4) So, then I did the next stupid thing...in CWM, I formatted my /system, /data, and /cache. That was a big mistake! I now have officially bricked by tab.
5) I tried to get rid of CWM recovery by extracting the recovery.img file from the stock rom zip file. I fastboot flashed that to the recovery and recovery2 partitions. I then thought, let me try extracting the update.zip from the stock rom zip and put that on the root of my sdcard and tried to install that. No go...it just says, update failed with a big red "FAIL" message in the center.
Any and all help would be immensely appreciated! How can I get back to some sort of working ROM? Please!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK so you blanked system, screwed up data and possibly recovery. Cache shouldn't be an issue. Everything else is probably fine.
So from the Springboard ICS update zip, you'll want to flash each of the following from fastboot:
- stock recovery.img to recovery and recovery2
- boot.img just in case that got buggered up
- cust.img
- system.img.ext4
- userdata.img.ext4 (this will probably blank your internal storage but you probably already did that in the process because CWM doesn't know the difference)
At this point, does it boot? If it looks like it might be bootlooping on the animation, give it a good 20-30 minutes before you pronounce that it's not working. Wiping pretty much anything other than cache with CWM is a huge nono... it doesn't work right and it buggers a lot of things up.
Any particular locations for the other files via fastboot?
cmstlist said:
OK so you blanked system, screwed up data and possibly recovery. Cache shouldn't be an issue. Everything else is probably fine.
So from the Springboard ICS update zip, you'll want to flash each of the following from fastboot:
- stock recovery.img to recovery and recovery2
- boot.img just in case that got buggered up
- cust.img
- system.img.ext4
- userdata.img.ext4 (this will probably blank your internal storage but you probably already did that in the process because CWM doesn't know the difference)
At this point, does it boot? If it looks like it might be bootlooping on the animation, give it a good 20-30 minutes before you pronounce that it's not working. Wiping pretty much anything other than cache with CWM is a huge nono... it doesn't work right and it buggers a lot of things up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! Thanks for the help! I unfortunately, don't have my other computer that has the proper drivers installed to recognize the tablet and to run fastboot on. So, I'll try the fix you are suggesting once I get home today. However, in the meantime, I had some questions with regard to where I should flash the other files.
I understand that recovery.img should go to the recovery and recovery2 partitions.
What about the others? Does boot.img go to a particular partition? Effectively, what would the command line look like? (eg fastboot flash boot boot.img?)
Sorry about the newbie questions. I've installed a number of custom ROMs on phones using CWM, but this is a strange beast.
With regard to your question of whether it boots, well, kind of...it does boot to the T-mobile Springboard screen, then it sits there. I will let it sit for 20-30 minutes and see what happens. Will report back...for sure!
Thanks a ton!
[UPDATE]
So, I had a chance to install the TWRP recovery with the CM10 ROM. I loaded the CM10 ROM with the TWRP which installed successfully. I turned the tablet on and let it sit there for about 10 minutes and sure enough, CM10 runs just fine. However, I did notice that I cannot receive any calls. I am able to make calls, but when someone dials my number, it just goes straight to voicemail.
So, now, I'm wondering, if I can get the stock ICS with International ROM running so that I can try to use this thing as a phone, data and texting tab. I'll try what you suggested when I get home as mentioned earlier.
CM10 has too many problems, why would you want to use it?
cmstlist said:
OK so you blanked system, screwed up data and possibly recovery. Cache shouldn't be an issue. Everything else is probably fine.
So from the Springboard ICS update zip, you'll want to flash each of the following from fastboot:
- stock recovery.img to recovery and recovery2
- boot.img just in case that got buggered up
- cust.img
- system.img.ext4
- userdata.img.ext4 (this will probably blank your internal storage but you probably already did that in the process because CWM doesn't know the difference)
At this point, does it boot? If it looks like it might be bootlooping on the animation, give it a good 20-30 minutes before you pronounce that it's not working. Wiping pretty much anything other than cache with CWM is a huge nono... it doesn't work right and it buggers a lot of things up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That worked for me. After playing with vold.fstab I had rendered my Springboard unusable (got the encryption was unsuccessful screen!).
I really wanted to switch the apps installation path to the external sd card but did not succeed.
What am I doing wrong
I have not been able to root my springboard at all. It will go to a black screen that says enter fastboot and it just stays there. When I type to flash the recovery it says it cannot load it. I have adb and fastboot installed...could it be a driver issue? I now know that I am in the correct screen, just can't get this thing rooted. any help would be appreciated thanks.
Well I feel quite stupid. But figured out where I went wrong and for the love of God got my Springboard rooted. *whew*
Hi.
While trying to upgrade my tablet to a later version of Android, something borked the bootloader. The tablet boots fine to a bare ICS (no gapps, but ROM MANAGER installed, though it does nothing but hang), but trying to boot into recovery mode hangs it (black screen with android robot, OEM info).
I can install apks to the tablet. I have installed ADB on my PC and it sees my tablet.
Where do I go from here ?
I have no clue
- what exact file(s) I need (my tablet is an Ainol novo8 advanced)
- where I need to put them
- what the commands are to do that
- it should be rooted (the superuser app aloows me to grant su privileges to apps)
Any help that can bring my tablet back to life would be very welcome.
Olivier
obarthelemy said:
Hi.
While trying to upgrade my tablet to a later version of Android, something borked the bootloader. The tablet boots fine to a bare ICS (no gapps, but ROM MANAGER installed, though it does nothing but hang), but trying to boot into recovery mode hangs it (black screen with android robot, OEM info).
I can install apks to the tablet. I have installed ADB on my PC and it sees my tablet.
Where do I go from here ?
I have no clue
- what exact file(s) I need (my tablet is an Ainol novo8 advanced)
- where I need to put them
- what the commands are to do that
- it should be rooted (the superuser app aloows me to grant su privileges to apps)
Any help that can bring my tablet back to life would be very welcome.
Olivier
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can still use ADB your tablets bootloader is likely not messed up, it sounds like you booted the tablet into fastboot mode not recovery. To get into recovery you can enter it by holding a key combination the most common combination is holding volume up plus the power button at the same time. If that doesn't work from ADB you should be able to get into recovery by running the command:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
Also ROM manger doesn't always work right with every device so I would recommend just uninstalling ROM Manager for now. If it is booting fine into bare ICS then your tablet should be ok, if your looking for Google Apps for ICS they can be found here http://cmw.22aaf3.com/gapps/gapps-ics-20120317-signed.zip. Let me know if you still have questions .
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Thanks a lot for your answer.
I'm sorry I didn't describe the issue well: I can no longer access the recovery mode.
I used to get to it by cold-booting the tablet holding Vol+ and Power. I used that to install ICS, gaps, powertools and 3D tools as described in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=36059461#post36059461. The first package (recovery CWM) failed to installed because it was unsigned), the others installed, but in the end it seems I only got ICS: I have no gapps.
Now doing Vol+ and Power only gets me to the boot screen (a green android with OEM info, on a black background). Your "adb reboot recovery" does the same. I can only exit that screen by a hard reset.
During a normal boot, that screen flashes by for a couple of thesconds, then another, then the ICS colorful boot animation.
I have no clue how the recovery boot process works. I'm guessing it's reading a file of the internal Flash, and that file or dependencies got corrupted or partly overwritten by one of the packages I installed ? I'm not even sure if CWM recovery replaces the default recovery mode, or if it chains right after it ? I do have a supposedly-working CWM recovery .zip from the authors of the CM10 hack, as well as the "original" files listed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31089682&postcount=286 (official images from an out-of-the-box, unhacked tablet).
PS: the recovery mode I used to have was very rustic, only taking "update.zip" as an input, so when I did the update I had to go back and forth renaming the first package to "update.zip", applying it, renaming it "update1.zip, then on the the second package, etc, etc... It said Android System Recovery (3e), so maybe 3e was the version.
last but not least, if I could at least get the gapps onto the tablet, even w/o fixing the recovery mode, it would be very useful. I can install apks, or follow instructions to do it via adb ?
obarthelemy said:
Thanks a lot for your answer.
I'm sorry I didn't describe the issue well: I can no longer access the recovery mode.
I used to get to it by cold-booting the tablet holding Vol+ and Power. I used that to install ICS, gaps, powertools and 3D tools as described in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=36059461#post36059461. The first package (recovery CWM) failed to installed because it was unsigned), the others installed, but in the end it seems I only got ICS: I have no gapps.
Now doing Vol+ and Power only gets me to the boot screen (a green android with OEM info, on a black background). Your "adb reboot recovery" does the same. I can only exit that screen by a hard reset.
During a normal boot, that screen flashes by for a couple of thesconds, then another, then the ICS colorful boot animation.
I have no clue how the recovery boot process works. I'm guessing it's reading a file of the internal Flash, and that file or dependencies got corrupted or partly overwritten by one of the packages I installed ? I'm not even sure if CWM recovery replaces the default recovery mode, or if it chains right after it ? I do have a supposedly-working CWM recovery .zip from the authors of the CM10 hack, as well as the "original" files listed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31089682&postcount=286 (official images from an out-of-the-box, unhacked tablet).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
obarthelemy said:
PS: the recovery mode I used to have was very rustic, only taking "update.zip" as an input, so when I did the update I had to go back and forth renaming the first package to "update.zip", applying it, renaming it "update1.zip, then on the the second package, etc, etc... It said Android System Recovery (3e), so maybe 3e was the version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
obarthelemy said:
last but not least, if I could at least get the gapps onto the tablet, even w/o fixing the recovery mode, it would be very useful. I can install apks, or follow instructions to do it via adb ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The recovery you are referring to is to the standard Android 3e recovery it is included in every version of Android, and will always be like that unless you install a custom recovery such as CWMR and or TWRP. As a general rule you should never install a custom ROM without having a custom recovery image installed first, essentially all the stock 3e recovery is good for is installing OTA updates and preforming a basic factory reset of your phone. You should try and fix your recovery before going any-further, you can sign the un-signed zip by using this tool. Overall, I would focus on trying to fix the recovery to prevent any further damage to your tablet and so that way you have a simple way to recover from anything that might go wrong when flashing ROMs, mods, and other zip files.
issue with the uImage linked
The uImage linked on the download pages for the CM10 and CM9 version ends in ".*"
I have no clue what the normal extension should be; replacing that *.zip doesn't work. Is the file bad, or am I just too clueless about what to do with it ?
Ok so the question is:
1- which "recovery mode" file should I install on my tablet, especially since the mod author's ones seem flaky
2- how do I do that via ADB since my tablet no longer seems to have a working "recovery mode".
I'm sorry to hassle you with those questions... I've looked around, I can't find info nor files I'm confident about ?
Hi,
After a frustrating few hours, I've decided to give in and ask for help.... I've read just about every thread on this and other forums and just cannot get what I want.
The basics:
I have a new 4GB model, which appears to be chinese (chinese battery markings) and post the change to preloader - date on battery is 140418
Rather strangely, the ROM it came with was listed as 'P780_ROW_8G_S223_140901', even though the free storage, etc. showed that it was a 4GB model....
Following one of the excellent guides on here I managed to install TWRP and root it, even after the OTA update to S224 came through.
All fine, except that I found the UI a bit laggy coming from a Samsung S4 Active, so I thought I'd go to AOSP or similar.
This is where I have run into a brick wall. I've got SLXrom on there and it runs nicely, but I really wanted some KitKat goodness, and all the AOSP KK roms I can find (on Needrom, etc) require flashing over a Chinese base ROM.
I've spent several hours trying every combination of ROM and flashing method, and have completely failed to get a CN rom booting on my phone....
What I've tried already:
1. SP Flash Tools v3.1304.0.119 (Other version won't even try)
2. The linked 'stock' roms from another thread on here - P780_S135_130917_rooted_twrp_gapps and VIBEUI_V1.5_1419_5_DEV_P780_rooted_twrp_gapps
3. Changing the preloader.bin file for the later one for the newer phones
4. Flashing SLXROM_v26-Lenovo_P780-KIT(CN) from TWRP (says successful but never boots - blank screen only)
I know the drivers, etc. are installed correctly because I was able to flash TWRP via SPFT - but any of the above give me a 'BROM ERROR: S_FT_READBACK_FAIL(4009)' error.
I did have to use an altered scatter file to flash the recovery, but I tried the same modification with the ROMS and no success.
From what I understand, the main difference between CN and ROW roms is the partitioning, so I'm assuming that this is somehow at the bottom of the issue. What I can't find is the solution.
Couple of things I noted while trying:
1. Any flashing of a CN ROM would cause TWRP to not see the data partition - reflashing the Aroma partitioning app someone from here provided (thanks!) corrected that...
2. After flashing failed, Windows would give me a 'usb device failed' message on next plug in - pressing the reset button on the phone solved that.
3. None of the flashes destroyed TWRP, so I am guessing that they did not successfully flash even the recovery image. (not sure what order they are done in)
Can anyone give me any pointers to try now? Should I be able to flash a CN ROM from TWRP (English)?
Would getting a Chinese version of the recovery on there be a way forward? I did try that but again flashing failed.....
None of this would be an issue if there was a AOSP KK ROW build, but perhaps there will be one soon and I should just wait for that?
Any thoughts welcome - I've given up for the night because I was in danger of throwing the damn phone across the room!
Gavin
Solved
Okay, I finally managed it, with a lot of research, cursing and luck!
In case anyone else runs into the same issue, here are the steps I took - I'll try to upload the files I used to this post later.
FIRSTLY: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP, PARTICULARLY OF YOUR IMEI AND NVRAM - MTKDroidTools is the best way to go, there are other threads on it.
It may not be necessary, but if it is, don't complain when you cat explodes and you spiral into a world of gloom and doom - BACKUP FIRST!
The key was finding a CN ROM that could be flashed using SP_Flash_tools on to a phone that has a ROW ROM on it. For my device at least (post April 2014 bootloader Chinese 'speed' version), none of the ones linked on here would work....
However, I found one on 4pda.ru that does work - The page is in Russian, but Google Translate does a reasonable job.
The page is here, but the direct link to the file is here The ROM in question is 'VIBEUI_V2.0_1437_7.14.1_ST_by_sadist_v1.zip'
I also downloaded SP_Flash_Tool_v5.1352.01 from the same post, which worked for me, though other versions may work....
Pre Requisite Steps:
1. Make sure drivers are installed properly for the preload bootloader
2. Did I mention making a backup?
3. Extract the ROM zip to a suitable location
3. If your phone is one of the Chinese models after April 2014 (The date is on the battery on mine in the form: 140414), then replace the preloader.bin file in the ROM download with the 2014 version from here
4. Choose a suitable ROM for your device that can be flashed through recovery - There are several on NeedROM, personally I went with the AOSP-4.4.2-fix-PYRO_LS from here. Place this ROM on your SDcard so it will be accessible from the recovery.
5. Turn your phone off (do not plug it in yet)
6. Run SP_Flash_Tool_v5.1352.01 from the extracted file.
7. Click 'Scatter-loading' and browse to the ROM folder then load the MT6589_Android_scatter_emmc.txt file
8. Choose 'firmware upgrade' from the drop down list and make sure that all the files are ticked and the location field is filled in
9. Click 'Download'
10. Without turning your phone on, plug it into to your USB port.
11. The files should start downloading (First a red completion bar, then through various colours)
12. Wait until you get a green circle to show the download has worked. If you don't, then check the above steps again very carefully.
13. IMPORTANT - unplug the phone, then start it, while holding both up and down volume keys together. This will force it into TWRP. If you don't do this and let it boot into the ROM, then the original recovery will be reinstalled and you will have to start again.
14. You should get the 'Teamwin' logo, and then be in TWRP. It is the chinese version, but should be in English so no changes or translation needed.
15. Do a wipe (Not sure if this is essential but I did it) - The standard wipe is enough
16. Go to install and choose the zip you put on the SDcard earlier
17. The install should complete successfully. You may find it best to do another wipe (only minimum) here though I didn't.
18. Reboot and you should boot into Stock Android 4.4.2, with a few additions (Superuser is already installed - Lenovo Power Manager is added, etc.)
19. Choose your language and set up as you wish
20. Bask in the glory of a job well done.....
Troubleshooting:
If your phone does not flash correctly in step 11, don't worry. Make sure you have the correct files selected in Flash tools, and replace the 2014 preloader.bin if you forgot.
Press Download in SP Flash Tools again
Leave your phone plugged in, then take off the back and press the red reset button once. your phone will turn off, and then when it starts up it should immediately be detected and start flashing again.
If you never get the RED bar, then the drivers are not properly installed, so make sure that is done first. If you are on Windows 8, you will likely need to reboot into Advanced startup mode and disable Signature verification. There is a post on installing drivers that explains...
Hope that helps someone else avoid the hassle I went through. So far everything seems to be working fine and I have KitKat goodness without the Lenovo bloat. It definitely seems snappier and I can add the tweaks I want with Xposed.
If you like some of the Lenovo Apps, they do seem to mostly install and work fine on Stock Android, including the widgets. Props to lenovo for not needing their own launcher to work them!
I have attempted everything, I don't remember my B version which doesn't help. I know I was on 5.0.2 and I'm located in the UK.
I'm stuck in infinite boot loop which is happening because I deleted the OS by Accident.
I have attempted to Flash a B330 Version but boot loop. I grabbed the official Update for V5.0.2 Extracted the SYS and the other necessary files to "Unbrick" using the Honor 7 Multi-tool.
When I'm supposed to go to eRecovery I can't go to it. I have removed the cable, HOLDing both Volume Buttons and Power, when the Honor Logo pops up I remove the Power Button and it doesn't go to eRec, it just restarts due to Boot loop.
Does anyone have any suggestions what to do?
Give a shot for "Honor 7 Multi-Tool" that can be found on this Forum, that contain "Unbrick" task what you can use to unbrick your device. And that contains simple tutuorial how to do it.
Give a shot for B180 package with your country, that is FULL patch for 5.0.2 version. When that is done you can upgrade your phone to the B330.
And also for ERecovery, try hold all 3 buttons so long that you reach the recovery menu, you dont need release those buttons until you are on recovery.
kenkae said:
Give a shot for "Honor 7 Multi-Tool" that can be found on this Forum, that contain "Unbrick" task what you can use to unbrick your device. And that contains simple tutuorial how to do it.
Give a shot for B180 package with your country, that is FULL patch for 5.0.2 version. When that is done you can upgrade your phone to the B330.
And also for ERecovery, try hold all 3 buttons so long that you reach the recovery menu, you dont need release those buttons until you are on recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your help,
I have already attempted the unbrick function on H7 Multi-Too but I can't get through to Recovery for some reason after MT is finished with transferring the files to the phone. I'v been holding the 3 buttons for 5 minutes and it just Boot-Loops, I must be doing something wrong.
Regarding how I "Deleted" the system and got into this mess, I used the Advance Wipe function in TWRP and wiped the system by accident. This might be affecting eRecovery?
I'm not sure If I used the B180 Pack or one below. So I'll re-do it and see how it goes.
Galio094 said:
thanks for your help,
I have already attempted the unbrick function on H7 Multi-Too but I can't get through to Recovery for some reason after MT is finished with transferring the files to the phone. I'v been holding the 3 buttons for 5 minutes and it just Boot-Loops, I must be doing something wrong.
Regarding how I "Deleted" the system and got into this mess, I used the Advance Wipe function in TWRP and wiped the system by accident. This might be affecting eRecovery?
I'm not sure If I used the B180 Pack or one below. So I'll re-do it and see how it goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No that wont effect anything ifyou wipe whole device, because you flash Boot/System/Recovery and other sectors with Multi Tool. So that install's a fresh install there.
Give a shot for that B180 package with correct country for you, flash all sectors with MultiTool and then reboot to recovery. That should work, if not then something goes wrong with flashing.
Heres my Thread from this forum, i think i have done that situation what you have going now.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-7/general/honor-7-premium-stock-images-plk-l01-t3369369
Couldn't find B180, Only B130.
Used Huawei Updater to Extract Files.
and used multi tool's unbrick, Attempted to go to eRecovery no success.
Tried Multi-TOols Reboot to eRecovery no success as it needs USB Debugging.
I'm stuck :'(. Also lost Ability to go back to TWRP
Here is B180 for your Device (United Kingdom): http://www.hihonor.com/uk/support/details/?DOC_ID=77725
Boot your phone to the Fastboot, then flash new TWRP to your device. Shut it down and try boot to the Recovery.
When you have successfully rebooted to the TWRP, create folder what is named to dload inside your SDCard, then put that B180 "Update.app" file inside that folder.
When that step is done, start UpdateExtractor, and take Unbrick files out from that .app file.
Next step will be unbricking with MultiTool, when its done just try reboot your phone first normally to the system, if that works just go: Settings->Update->Local Packet from SDCard.
And your device start updating that B180 packet completely.
After you have updated your phone to B180, download C432B330 packet and just replace that "Update.app" file on your SDCard with that B330 file and repeat previous steps.
The problem was B130 and B180. Before deleting my OS I attempted a ROM Flash from B330 when being on a B180 System (which tells you not to do). So my System froze at B330 I guess. WHen I attempted to Unbrick on B330 it worked, didn't work on B130 or B180.
Though the process itself was correct, was just the package . Thanks
This is basically a copy of my Z380M TWRP thread adopted for the ZenPad 10. I decided to start a new one since the OP of justshaun's original recovery/rooting thread has gone stale, even as I had posted several new releases of TWRP over the months. Its instructions are also a little outdated. I've also compiled a version for the new Z301M(F) models and needed a place to post it. This is where I will be posting TWRP updates from now on.
In addition to this thread, referring to the Z380M TWRP thread and the original Z300M thread (links above) may be helpful. These models share the same hardware and software base, so most things that apply to one tablet also apply to the others.
DISCLAIMER
As usual, you do anything described in this post at your own risk. No one but you is responsible for any data loss, bricking or damage of your device.
REQUIREMENTS
Windows or Linux PC
SP Flash Tool version 5.1532 (only this version will bypass security checks)
MediaTek VCOM drivers (available through Windows Update)
ZenPad 10 scatter file for SPFT, attached (choose the one for your tablet)
Recovery image, attached (choose the one for your tablet)
ZenPad Z300M, Z301M or Z301MF tablet upgraded to Android N
This won't be a guide on how to use SP Flash Tool. There are plenty of good guides out there like this one on how to set up drivers, load scatter files, flash and make backups with SP Flash Tool. If you're not familiar with this software or how to flash MediaTek devices in general, please do your research before attempting this. I will just get straight to the specifics about the ZenPad 10.
FIRST TIME INSTALLATION
For a locked bootloader:
At this point you should have your tablet powered off, the drivers installed, all of your data backed up, and SP Flash Tool v5.1532's Download tab open and loaded with the tablet's scatter file. Open the download agent file DA_PL.bin, replacing the default MTK_AllInOne_DA.bin. (You can use the AllInOne DA if you want, but the procedure involves extra steps as described below.) Load the extracted TWRP recovery image for your device (twrp-3.2.1-0-z30*m.img) under the recovery partition line in the partition table. Click the Download button inside SPFT. Now just connect the USB cable to your tablet and your computer's USB port. It should start the download process automatically and disconnect when finished.
Alternative Method:
If you're using MTK_AllInOne_DA.bin, you have to hold the Volume Up key as you insert the cable, which puts the device into an emergency download mode. In addition, you will need to have the stock preloader*.bin file loaded inside SPFT for it to be able to communicate with your tablet. The preloader is available inside the official zip file download. Do not flash the preloader (untick the box) or any partitions other than recovery. You just need to have a valid bin file selected under the Preloader line.
For an unlocked bootloader:
If you have used the Asus unlock tool to unlock your device, you will still not be able to use fastboot flash to install a custom recovery. However, you can do a "hot boot" or a tethered boot of TWRP. This method doesn't require SP Flash Tool. Download the TWRP image, put your tablet in fastboot mode and connect to PC. Then run this command to boot TWRP dynamically:
fastboot boot twrp-3.2.1-0-z30*m.img
Once inside TWRP, flash twrp-3.2.1-0-z30*m.img to Recovery using Install -> Install Image. Then reboot to recovery. You may be able to use TWRP in the tethered boot mode, but that could result in glitches due to different parameters passed by the bootloader to the kernel. That's why flashing is recommended.
To update from your installed TWRP version to a new one, just transfer the image to your tablet, then boot to TWRP and install it by going to Install -> Install Image and flashing to Recovery.
START RECOVERY
With the tablet powered off, hold the Volume Up and Power keys together until you get to a menu where you can select "recovery". On the Z301M/Z301MF, that option is labeled Factory Reset. Use Vol. Up to scroll and Vol. Dn to select. If you have a locked bootloader, it will show a Yellow State message because the recovery is not signed by the OEM. Just press volume up to boot it. On the welcome screen of TWRP it will ask you about modifying the system partition, I suggest you go with Keep System Read-only. Doing otherwise will complicate your OTA updates.
WARNING: Never start the stock recovery from the bootloader menu on this device. It is programmed by the bootloader to instantly wipe your data without any warning. Also, be aware that Android installs the stock recovery at every normal boot cycle. So you either have to flash the TWRP every time you want to run it, or disable the automatic recovery installation in the stock firmware. Any kind of mod to the boot image will prevent the automatic recovery installation. If you're not sure which recovery you have installed, you can always do a 'adb reboot recovery' from Android without risk of data loss.
WARNING 2: Make sure you use the correct scatter file for your device (i.e. don't mix up the Z300 and Z301 files). For the initial flash, there is no check for scatter file correctness. If you use the wrong one, SP Flash Tool will alter and lock your GPT to that scatter file layout, possibly bricking your device. It will not be easy to restore it. Flashing with the correct scatter file later on will not work because Flash Tool will not allow you to use a different file than the one you used initially.
What works: Basically everything... access to major partitions, decrypted userdata partition, decrypted adoptable storage, external SD card, ADB, USB-OTG, touch interface, splash screen, installing stock Asus OTA/web FW updates
What doesn't work: (no known problems yet, but please report any)
Not guaranteed to work: factory reset
DOWNLOAD
SP Flash Tool v5.1532
Z300M Scatter file for all storage sizes (right click, Save link as...) -- do not use for other models
Z300M TWRP 3.2.1-0 image -- updated March 15, 2018
Z301M(F) series Scatter file for all storage sizes (right click, Save link as...) -- do not use for Z300M or other devices
Z301M TWRP 3.2.1-0 image -- updated March 13, 2018
Z301MF TWRP 3.2.3-0 image -- updated August 29, 2018
Development and experimental files
Source code
P.S. The thanks button doesn't bite.
Heya, thanks for the new thread..
Stupid question(coming from Samsung flashing)
Ive got Zenpad S3 10 P027, is this TRWP not ideal for this?
Currently, have some su (root) issues. Recovery shows Android icon chest with ! and says "No Command"
When running su in Terminal ADB via PC, says command not recognized.
Looks like I need to reflash recovery. When in TRWP (launched via fastboot boot twrp on PC) I flashed stock recovery but had system mounted read only. Could that be the problem?
Bro, I think you need to do some more homework on root, su, dm-verity, mods, etc. and read the instructions more carefully before applying these hacks. You are making a lot of simple mistakes and ending up shooting yourself in the foot for it. I don't think there's anything wrong with the Z500 TWRP. It can handle installing the stock firmware just fine. The problem is elsewhere. The unlock tool also works fine in TWRP as well in my testing.
The No Command screen is normal. That's been answered many times... you need to hold power+vol. up (or down) to get to the menu. There is no way the stock recovery image can be broken and still boot up.
The su thing, IDK what the problem is, but I'm sure if you install Magisk Manager and make your own patched image from your currently installed firmware, and fastboot-boot with it, you will have su functionality. Just like what it says in the unlock tool instructions.
Lastly and most important, never mount system in read-write mode, as I've repeated several times and exactly as it says in the directions:
7. At the TWRP welcome screen, do not select to modify the system partition and touch Keep System Read-only instead. Doing otherwise will render your tablet unbootable.
8. Mount system in TWRP (in read-only mode)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only time you can mount it in read-write mode is when you are absolutely sure you have disabled dm-verity in your boot image.
I've successfully installed TWRP on Z301M using the instructions from the first post, but then I somehow managed to lose the system. Yes, I should have backed up like the OP suggests.
I thought I should be able to reinstall the original firmware downloaded from Asus (e.g. UL-ASUS_P028_1-WW-3.3.12.0-user.zip) but both the 'adb sideload' method and the TWRP failed to install that firmware zip. My device looks bricked. The only thing I can do is to boot into TWRP (I actually need to select Factory Reset on the bootloader screen to get into TWRP). The folder 'system' is empty.
Can anyone suggest what I am doing wrong when trying to restore the Asus firmware?
When I try to sideload the zip, setting TWRP in the sideload mode, the computer begins uploading but after a few seconds gives the message "Total xfer: 0.01x" and stops, while Android errors with "set boot part fail. can not open misc-sd".
When I install the firmware zip from TWRP it also starts installing fine but shortly gives the same error "set boot part fail. can not open misc-sd".
Thanks
@ahacker, first of all, thank you for the feedback on the Z301M platform. You are literally the first person to have said anything about that version of TWRP.
To see the files on system, you first have to mount the system partition. Did you do that? If not, I suggest mounting it read-only. If there was any corruption on it, then reinstalling the firmware should have fixed it. The "misc-sd" errors are normal. Pretty sure they happen on stock recovery too. The stock firmware does not have dm-verity enabled, so letting TWRP modify system to prevent overwriting recovery should not have caused any problems.
At which point did it stop booting? Also, did you use the scatter file from first post? And can you tell me if the touch screen works fine in TWRP on your tablet?
I'm not sure what the deal is with adb sideload. I don't think I've ever actually tried it....
diplomatic, thanks for replying!
diplomatic said:
[MENTION=4776997]
To see the files on system, you first have to mount the system partition. Did you do that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do mount the system partition. It appears empty. When I reboot into system TWRP says that the OS is not installed.
I don't remember the details of how I lost the system partition. First time I entered into TWRP it asked for a password, probably to mount some partition. I pressed cancel or something. Then I might have cleaned the caches. But I am sure I haven't wiped system. I might have pressed Factory Reset somewhere, because I don't have any data yet on the new tablet.
I would indeed try to mount the system read only. This is not the first Android system I rooted (maybe fifth), and I was always able to restore the system either from sideload or recovery. But here it seems Asus is making us jump extra hoops to do that.
diplomatic said:
[MENTION=4776997]
Reinstalling the firmware should have fixed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That seems to be my main problem now. I cannot reinstall the Asus firmware. It may look like I might be installing a wrong version, but I am positive that I have Z301M tablet. This is what I bought and what the boot-loader says. I download Z301M firmware from the Asus website (e.g.). So it must be a correct firmware.
diplomatic said:
[MENTION=4776997]
The "misc-sd" errors are normal. Pretty sure they happen on stock recovery too. The stock firmware does not have dm-verity enabled, so letting TWRP modify system to prevent overwriting recovery should not have caused any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information.
diplomatic said:
[MENTION=4776997]
Also, did you use the scatter file from first post? Does the touch screen work fine in TWRP on that tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I found that to be the only scatter file that worked. I tried scatter.txt from the firmware zip, but the Flash Tool refuses tio pick it up. TWRP seems to be working fine with touches working as expected.
diplomatic said:
[MENTION=4776997]
I'm not sure what the deal is with adb sideload. I don't think I've ever actually tried it....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the unbricking method described here. It probably does the same thing as the "Install Zip" from recovery, because the errors that both methods give are the same.
---------- Post added at 01:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 AM ----------
Now system refuses to mount
ahacker said:
I don't remember the details of how I lost the system partition. First time I entered into TWRP it asked for a password, probably to mount some partition. I pressed cancel or something. Then I might have cleaned the caches. But I am sure I haven't wiped system. I might have pressed Factory Reset somewhere, because I don't have any data yet on the new tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Er, the password should have been for decrypting your userdata. If you didn't have one set up, there might be something wrong there.... Or possibly just unformatted.
ahacker said:
That seems to be my main problem now. I cannot reinstall the Asus firmware. It may look like I might be installing a wrong version, but I am positive that I have Z301M tablet. This is what I bought and what the boot-loader says. I download Z301M firmware from the Asus website (e.g.). So it must be a correct firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that has to be the right one. The installation script has to match the model name reported by the recovery. Otherwise it would simply abort.
ahacker said:
Yes. I found that to be the only scatter file that worked. I tried scatter.txt from the firmware zip, but the Flash Tool refuses tio pick it up. TWRP seems to be working fine with touches working as expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! Guess my kernel patch was on the dot and the partition layout has not changed from the Z300.
ahacker said:
This is the unbricking method described here. It probably does the same thing as the "Install Zip" from recovery, because the errors that both methods give are the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you installed the zip, did you unmount system completely? BTW, when you mentioned the errors, the installation does keep going for like 5 to 10 minutes afterwards, right?
If you still can't resurrect it, please post or send me the recovery & kernel log that has your installation attempt.
diplomatic said:
When you installed the zip, did you unmount system completely? BTW, when you mentioned the errors, the installation does keep going for like 5 to 10 minutes afterwards, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried both ways, with and without system mounted, a few times. The installation would fail after something like 5 seconds.
diplomatic said:
If you still can't resurrect it, please post or send me the recovery & kernel log that has your installation attempt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I am giving up on this cheap tablet. I cannot even format it in the Flash Tool: it says "To format code area is forbidden on this phone". Asus is forbidding too much for me to ever buy it again. Attached the logs.
Thanks, diplomatic
OK, found the problem. Check your PMs, ahacker.
diplomatic said:
OK, found the problem. Check your PMs, ahacker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have replied (twice), but the reply does not appear in my Sent Items. I hope it has reached you. If not, I'll paste the reply here, if you don't mind.
i not understand... i have Asus ZenPad 10 LTE Z301MFL.. a root method has been released ???
@diplomatic
Would this be compatible with Z0310M ? can't find anything for this damn model...
Hi, NeBouse,
Are you sure you have the correct information? It looks like just a misspelling of Z301M, aka P028....
I have z301m.
One thing that was a surprise for me is that the TWRP recovery flashed with the method described in the original post does not stick. You have to flash it each time you use it. If you are like me this information is important, because the original recovery plainly wipes your data without asking or warning.
After you have flashed TWRP on the device, to go to the recovery mode you have to chose "Factory Reset" in the bootloader. Then it will complain about wrong OS, which is the sign that flashing TWRP worked; choose 'yes'. The first thing you should do in TWRP is a ful nandroid backup. (Not listening the OP's advice about backing up when Installing TWRP with a wrong scatter file almost cost me the device. Thankfully diplomatic managed to remotely fix my problem, probably spending a lot of his personal time. The scatter file in the original post is a correct one now.)
Creating a nandroid backup in TWRP takes unusually long time, I even once decided that it hanged. Taking long time, like 10-30 minutes, for a full backup is normal.
Asus Z300M , Magisk 16.3 (beta) and FW 5.3.19 WW now works!
z301m, WW-3.3.12.0 firmware
For rooting I've installed in TWRP Magisk v15.3 (diplomatic warned against 16.x, someone else against 15.4) - link.
Installed in TWRP xPosed framework 88.2 - link, and xPosed Installer apk from within Android - link.
So far, so good.
What I've found is that TWRP seems to have problems with external sd cards (lots of fs corruption). I found it safer to unmount by hand by unticking the sd card checkbox in "Mount". Not very conclusive about this though.
Thanks, ahacker. Good feedback. Although to be fair, I didn't say to avoid Magisk 16.x. I said 16.0. I'm pretty sure whatever bug it had is already fixed in the latest version.
Now that you've installed root, TWRP will stick around on the emmc. The stock recovery only gets installed if you have the original unpatched boot image on it. I mean, this is not unique to these devices. That's been standard Android functionality since some 4.x or 5.x version. And this is essentially what's in the warning on the OP.
The backup I'm talking about in the installation method is done with the SP Flash Tool readback function. That will pull the partition tables and your device's "metadata" that's unique to your unit. I don't think nandroid covers that...
Oh, and what is this SD corruption you're talking about? What file system is it formatted in? Have you checked your card for errors in Windows?
Asus releases so many difference Z301M model, so I am curious if this also works on Z301MF model?
Notice Z300MF has the MTK8163BA (or MTK8163A?) CPU model while Z301M uses : 8163B
Anyone tested that already? Thanks.
my zenpad 10 has frp lock. it this a solution to remove the frp lock?
Pls help how i flash original software via fastboot ?????