I am caught in a bootloop with my TF300T and am desperate for help or to know for sure if I bricked or if there is a way out. I have successfully rooted my TF300T a month or two ago by following the thread at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2187982. I kept the latest Asus ROM that I had before the root – I believe it was 4.2.1 but have no way to verify this now.
After rooting, I installed Super SU Pro and used “Root App Delete” and periodically “safe delete” (with undelete) bloatware, tested the tablet for a while, then safe deleted something else that seemed to be bloatware. Apparently I have deleted one to many essential components and am caught in a bootloop. I can’t tell which app deletion did me into this situation.
When booting to recovery using pwr + vol. down, I get the three icons (RCK, android, and wipe data) and am able to go into TWRP when selecting the RCK option. I was also able to flash an update to TWRP from my PC and upgraded from TWRP 2.5.0.0 to 2.6.3.0 in hope that the new version will be able to fix what my previous version didn’t. You may find it important that at the top of the Fastboot screen – the one with the three icons, it reads:
Key driver not found.. Booting OS
Android cardhu user bootloade <1.00 a> released by “US_epad-10.6.1.27.1-20130711” A03
Starting FastbootUSB download protocol
From TWRP I tried to wipe Dalvik and cash as some threads suggested, and to clear permissions. Clear permissions ran for 2-3 hours and didn’t complete. Those attempts produced the following message:
E: Unable to find partition size for ‘/recovery’
E: Unable to find partition size for ‘/boot’
Updating partition details…
Simulating actions…
…Followed by a “Failed” message
I also have a backup from shortly after the root and when attempting a restore it from TWRP, I get the same “Unable to find partition” message.
What I was trying to get to is to flash the latest Asus provided firmware for the TF300T (10.6.1.27.5, 508 MB) by putting the once unzipped zip file on a Micro SD card, and renaming the zip like the above referenced blog suggests, and then attempting to install it from the TWRP Install utility. This too failed resulting in the same “Unable to find partition…” messages above.
What does it really mean “Unable to find partition”? Why can't I restore my backup? Am I supposed to be able to flush a new ROM OS from TWRP Install utility? Any idea on a new direction will be appreciated. Please be patient with me – I am of the generation of printed manuals and am learning this new way.
I just installed SuperSU after unlocking...
When I boot into recovery, it says Unable to find the partition size for recovery and boot.
I then decided to factory reset to get ready to install a new ROM, and it kinda works... Then I try to install the ROM and it fails.
I reboot the system and it just boots into recovery. :/
I checked my downloads, and I downloaded the correct version(-4.2 blob) for my device(tf300t). I followed instructions but still ended up in this boot loop. Any suggestions?
Edit: Found a more updated version of TWRP(I had 2.6.x, found a 2.7)
Everything was smooth sailing from there.
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!
What's going on I had my watch rooted tried, make it back to stock tried it, rooted it and once more tried it I get error 7 everytime
I'm using Ubuntu 14
I can't even sideload
Drivers are all working
But for some reason my Linux machine won't talk to my watch
Can someone help all I need is some codec
I'm sure this has been answered before (infact, I remember answering this exact question).. The stock recovery has ADB broken, so sideloading doesn't work, nor does ADB's shell. The reason you're getting error 7 is because you re-rooted, which changes app_process32, which the update is looking to patch and finds that it doesn't have what it expected there. That said, here's something you can do.
Follow the instructions found somewhere else on these to push the update to /cache/recovery with the watch rooted, I'm not sure if the stock recovery image has an apply /sdcard/update.zip option, but you may be able to get away with pushing the update there.
If you're using the /sdcard/update.zip option, make sure that the update is pushed. If your watch is rooted, you need to unroot it manually by using the image found in the Restore Tools image. (If you're on 5.1 I believe it's 49Ksystem.img but I can't remember.), you'll be doing fastboot flash system <system-image>, then reboot into recovery and hit the apply update.zip option. You're done.
If stock recovery does NOT have an apply update.zip option, you need to search on the G Watch forum here, there is a proceedure that involves pushing the ZIP to /cache/ and writing a recovery script into /cache/recovery. You will need to stage that, but instead of rebooting when the instructions tell you, you need to reboot to the bootloader (adb reboot-bootloader) and preform the step I stated above, reflashing your current version's system image. Once finished, simply reboot and the OS will start updating automatically.
NOW! The Easy Way!
Download the latest LG G Watch Restore Tool package (I think it's 9.8 now), it has been updated with the latest Android Wear image. So all you need to do is start it and run Return to Stock, your watch will be restored to 5.1.1
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 ?????
Hello,
I made a mistake when rooting the tablet (BTV-W09), I think related to using HiSuite to restore a backup which then basically left me without a working OS, since I needed to input an unlock code with no keyboard.
Long story short after trying many methods like "dload" via sdcard with firmware finder files or using HuRUUpdater via TWRP all I have right now is a completely clean tablet, no OS installed, all I can do is
1. Boot into fastboot but adb doesn't work I assume it only does when OS is installed, so this is completely useless for me. Also of course HiSuite doesn't recognize the tablet here or in any other mode whatsoever.
2. Boot into upgrade mode but it fails to flash UPDATE.APP from sdcard/dload. I'm using the same exact firmware I was using before this fiasco.
3. Boot into eRecovery but I don't get any options to factory reset, never did (and of course after wiping everything that's gone I guess if it ever could be enabled), I can only "download from internet" but it ALWAYS fails with getting package info error or something like that, apparently it's common for people to get this.
4. Boot into TWRP, but I cannot flash update.zip, it fails with "update package from zip failed"
I have the bootloader unlocked of course. And SDCard is working, 100% functional, no errors.
Is there any way to flash stock firmware on this thing or is it a paperweight now.
Thanks for you time
HuRuUpdater did the trick as explained here. Not sure if the NANDROID backup restore was necessary prior to that, probably yes as all the partitions were cleared.