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My brother has a Nabi 2 which was rooted, and we recently received an update from Jelly Bean to Kit Kat. We (more like I) tried to do this without unrooting, and it ended up boot looping for around 4 hours before I intervened. I downloaded the latest stock ROM I could find, and I went into TWRP to flash it. Every single time, it says "Unable to flash zip '/external_sdcard/246stock.zip', then tells me that there is no operating system installed. I tried upgrading TWRP, and got 2.8. Touch was very close to unresponsive. I also tried 2.7.1.0, and 2.7.0.0, and also every other version I could find. Every single version either couldn't flash it, couldn't mount anything, or touch was unresponsive. I downloaded all the recoveries from xda's Nabi 2 page. None of them work. Is there anything I can try to fix this?
wither719 said:
My brother has a Nabi 2 which was rooted, and we recently received an update from Jelly Bean to Kit Kat. We (more like I) tried to do this without unrooting, and it ended up boot looping for around 4 hours before I intervened. I downloaded the latest stock ROM I could find, and I went into TWRP to flash it. Every single time, it says "Unable to flash zip '/external_sdcard/246stock.zip', then tells me that there is no operating system installed. I tried upgrading TWRP, and got 2.8. Touch was very close to unresponsive. I also tried 2.7.1.0, and 2.7.0.0, and also every other version I could find. Every single version either couldn't flash it, couldn't mount anything, or touch was unresponsive. I downloaded all the recoveries from xda's Nabi 2 page. None of them work. Is there anything I can try to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't "install" that zip, you "restore" it.
Use TWRP 2.7.0
Download this 3.0.13 stock ZIP
Use an external SDcard and make a backup of just "boot"(this is a setup for next step)
Put SD card in computer. Navigate to the folder TWRP/BACKUPS/XXXX. XXX is a serial number unique to your Nabi.
- Make a new folder and call in whatever you want. So it should now look like TWRP/BACKUPS/XXX/yourfolder
- Unzip the 3.0.13 stock you downloaded in to the "yourfolder" you created above. The files should look like ext4.system.win, emmc.boot.win, ext.addon.win, etc. This should set you up for the 3.0.13 ROM.
- Download this 3.0.13 bootloader
- Copy the zip to the SDcard. This will be for the bootloader update.
- Put sdcard in Nabi
- Go to "restore tab", and find the backup under the "yourfolder" you made and unzipped the files to.
- You should be able to select boot, system, and addon and skip the others.
- If everything restores then go to TWRP "install tab", find the bootloader zip you downloaded and install it.
- Reboot
aicjofs said:
You don't "install" that zip, you "restore" it.
Use TWRP 2.7.0
Download this 3.0.13 stock ZIP
Use an external SDcard and make a backup of just "boot"(this is a setup for next step)
Put SD card in computer. Navigate to the folder TWRP/BACKUPS/XXXX. XXX is a serial number unique to your Nabi.
- Make a new folder and call in whatever you want. So it should now look like TWRP/BACKUPS/XXX/yourfolder
- Unzip the 3.0.13 stock you downloaded in to the "yourfolder" you created above. The files should look like ext4.system.win, emmc.boot.win, ext.addon.win, etc. This should set you up for the 3.0.13 ROM.
- Download this 3.0.13 bootloader
- Copy the zip to the SDcard. This will be for the bootloader update.
- Put sdcard in Nabi
- Go to "restore tab", and find the backup under the "yourfolder" you made and unzipped the files to.
- You should be able to select boot, system, and addon and skip the others.
- If everything restores then go to TWRP "install tab", find the bootloader zip you downloaded and install it.
- Reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, im in BIG trouble with my daughter... Yep, I managed to brick her Nabi 2 following this tutorial and I dont know really know where I went wrong. But now when the Nabi 2 is powered on, all I see is the nabi logo, but no OS...or TWRP!... eeek!
I had been trying for days to get a stable TWRP on and Gapps, I did get TWRP v2.3.3.0 up and running at one point, but no Gapps installed and no SuperSU to be found, it was as if it wasnt rooted at all. (even after reinstalling both within TWRP). Then of course i found a thread that said Gapps didnt work on nabi 2 version 2.1...!
I do have a TWRP backup folder saved but i dont seem to have any way to get it back onto the Nabi 2... as its no longer detected in windows like it was before..? (despite the ding sound windows makes when plugged in ?).
I can only get to the 1st bootmenu (holding Vol+ and Power ok. Selecting any options results in little (or nothing) happening... i.e. when selected;
Boot Normally - nothing happens, nabi logo only. And if i leave it too long, it freezes here and i have to reboot.
Fastboot Protocol - with usb connected to pc, i do get to the Bootloader menu with, Bootloader, Continue, Reboot-bootloader, Reboot and Poweroff , options. The Pc 'dings' to indicate detection, but is not detected by adb ?
Recovery Kernel - nothing happens, nabi logo only.
Forced Recovery - screen goes black, then nothing follows.
on Fastboot Protocol menu, if i select the options;
Bootloader - without touching anything, pc dings to indicate some connection...?
Continue - if selected, i hear windows drop whatever connection it had previous..?
Reboot-bootloader - nothing happens, nabi logo only.
Reboot - reboots, then nabi logo only.
Poweroff - nabi 2 shuts down.
As it stands , all i can access are these options above, but i dont seem to have a way of getting windows to communicate over the usb cable...? that said, with pdanet running, it does detect the nabi 2, but of course it cant talk to it as I cant get to pdanet on the nabi 2... just gives some weird error that im using wrong adb , or it just cant connect to the nabi.
Tried using Nabilab v2, but device is not detected...?
...so i would be most grateful if some nabi 2 guru could assist with any possible resurrection, otherwise I will remain "the worst daddy ever"...ugh!
cheers in advance
the_xlr8r said:
ok, im in BIG trouble with my daughter... Yep, I managed to brick her Nabi 2 following this tutorial and I dont know really know where I went wrong. But now when the Nabi 2 is powered on, all I see is the nabi logo, but no OS...or TWRP!... eeek!
I had been trying for days to get a stable TWRP on and Gapps, I did get TWRP v2.3.3.0 up and running at one point, but no Gapps installed and no SuperSU to be found, it was as if it wasnt rooted at all. (even after reinstalling both within TWRP). Then of course i found a thread that said Gapps didnt work on nabi 2 version 2.1...!
I do have a TWRP backup folder saved but i dont seem to have any way to get it back onto the Nabi 2... as its no longer detected in windows like it was before..? (despite the ding sound windows makes when plugged in ?).
I can only get to the 1st bootmenu (holding Vol+ and Power ok. Selecting any options results in little (or nothing) happening... i.e. when selected;
Boot Normally - nothing happens, nabi logo only. And if i leave it too long, it freezes here and i have to reboot.
Fastboot Protocol - with usb connected to pc, i do get to the Bootloader menu with, Bootloader, Continue, Reboot-bootloader, Reboot and Poweroff , options. The Pc 'dings' to indicate detection, but is not detected by adb ?
Recovery Kernel - nothing happens, nabi logo only.
Forced Recovery - screen goes black, then nothing follows.
on Fastboot Protocol menu, if i select the options;
Bootloader - without touching anything, pc dings to indicate some connection...?
Continue - if selected, i hear windows drop whatever connection it had previous..?
Reboot-bootloader - nothing happens, nabi logo only.
Reboot - reboots, then nabi logo only.
Poweroff - nabi 2 shuts down.
As it stands , all i can access are these options above, but i dont seem to have a way of getting windows to communicate over the usb cable...? that said, with pdanet running, it does detect the nabi 2, but of course it cant talk to it as I cant get to pdanet on the nabi 2... just gives some weird error that im using wrong adb , or it just cant connect to the nabi.
Tried using Nabilab v2, but device is not detected...?
...so i would be most grateful if some nabi 2 guru could assist with any possible resurrection, otherwise I will remain "the worst daddy ever"...ugh!
cheers in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow I havent been on here in ages, got an email about your quote though.
I have forgotten so much about these Nabis over the last decade?! So how did you get to the non-booting part? You were able to complete the steps above all successfully? or did it fail at some part?
If you successfully flashed 3.0.13 bootloader with install in TWRP then I don't think you will be able to boot the TWRP you had on the device. That would be my guess at this point why you can't get to recovery.
[NABI] General Information
Fuhu Nabi General information 1. Introduction It was only recently that the Nabi2 got it's own forum. This device has been out a couple of years so the information you may be looking for is spread all over XDA. The largest single chunk of...
forum.xda-developers.com
Read the above. You are pretty much stuck in having to use fastboot.(The driver must be installed if you keep hearing the ding). You will need a fastboot.exe if you don't have one. Search minimal ADB and fastboot. I'd download TWRP 2.8.7 and try to use section 7 to get it on device i.e "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
If you unsuccessfully flashed bootloader then you need to use TWRP 2.8.5 Files should be in that thread also or my AHF https://androidfilehost.com/?w=files&flid=41987.
Ill check back later
aicjofs said:
Wow I havent been on here in ages, got an email about your quote though.
I have forgotten so much about these Nabis over the last decade?! So how did you get to the non-booting part? You were able to complete the steps above all successfully? or did it fail at some part?
If you successfully flashed 3.0.13 bootloader with install in TWRP then I don't think you will be able to boot the TWRP you had on the device. That would be my guess at this point why you can't get to recovery.
[NABI] General Information
Fuhu Nabi General information 1. Introduction It was only recently that the Nabi2 got it's own forum. This device has been out a couple of years so the information you may be looking for is spread all over XDA. The largest single chunk of...
forum.xda-developers.com
Read the above. You are pretty much stuck in having to use fastboot.(The driver must be installed if you keep hearing the ding). You will need a fastboot.exe if you don't have one. Search minimal ADB and fastboot. I'd download TWRP 2.8.7 and try to use section 7 to get it on device i.e "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
If you unsuccessfully flashed bootloader then you need to use TWRP 2.8.5 Files should be in that thread also or my AHF https://androidfilehost.com/?w=files&flid=41987.
Ill check back later
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks for getting back ...
Q. So how did you get to the non-booting part? You were able to complete the steps above all successfully? or did it fail at some part?
A. yes i followed the tut but once i rebooted that was the end and where my big problems began.
Q. If you successfully flashed 3.0.13 bootloader with install in TWRP then I don't think you will be able to boot the TWRP you had on the device. That would be my guess at this point why you can't get to recovery.
A. Yes, using TWRP i installed 3.013 bootloader.
Q. You are pretty much stuck in having to use fastboot. (The driver must be installed if you keep hearing the ding). You will need a fastboot.exe if you don't have one. Search minimal ADB and fastboot.
A. This may be the issue, i may be using older version of adb and fastboot. I already had minimal adb stored away, so i experimented by copying the adb files over to my NabiLabFull folder, this time it was green (detected) ... sort of...
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
ill have a read at the links you provided and will report back soon, thanks.
ok... getting somwehere but not where i expected....
i tried to install the 2 x TWRP versions you mentioned but it wouldnt load into either. So i reverted back to trying 2.3.3.0 and bingo , im in... but shouldnt 2.8.5 or 2.8.7 have worked since Im now showing Navi version as 3.0.13.. (was previously on 2.1.9) ?
im sitting at the TWRP 2.3.3.0 menu now , and still have Nabilab running but am afraid to do anything next lol.... where should i proceed to, from here ? Should I be installing any particular version of Root and Gapps now that im into TWRP 2.3.3.0 (or even try to update TWRP beforehand ?
PS. I am using a UK nabi 2 , in case that makes any difference to files im downloading to it ?
cheers
Im not at a location where I can look at the Nabilab script but as I recall the script is pulling it from build.prop on the system partition. This would indicate to me that the system partition flashed, and so likely the addon and boot. Also the fact that you can't boot another TWRP besides 2.3.3, and the normal boot hanging at the logo leads me to believe that the bootloader was not updated.
Again I'm trying to remember here....but as I recall the bootloader for the Nabi is passing a commandline to the kernel. You have a kernel in the 3.0.x ROM and an identical kernel in TWRP 2.8.7. The fact that neither boot would mean to me the bootloader is original and passing the old commandline to a newer kernel.
You have to get things in sync. The bootloader and the boot.img(kernel+ramdisk) have to match each other. The way that makes the most sense is to install the bootloader3013 zip through TWRP. You already tried that obviously and that's how you got here.
1) You could try the bootloader install inside TWRP again, seems like you can recover if it fails now. Of course if it works then 2.3.3 TWRP should no longer work(which is what I thought happened and why you couldn't boot TWRP initially) so you'd have to try the 2.8.7 at that point.
2) Since the bootloader is original(or Jellybean-ish) you could restore your backup and regroup.
When I get to a place I can look at the install script for the bootloader maybe I can jog my memory. I thought it just dd to mmcblock0
ok. thanks.
so i make no more mistakes, ill check I have all the correct files i need with you first...
I have saved to external sdcard, KK3013bootloader.zip containing;
META-INF
android-info.txt
blob
I have also saved to external sdcard, 3013stock.zip (unzipped)
I have also saved to external sdcard, some old Gapps.zip version (no idea if recent or not) ?
I have also saved to external sdcard, some old root.zip version, again, not sure if correct ?
I think I'm breaking it when i get to here...
1) You could try the bootloader install inside TWRP again, seems like you can recover if it fails now. Of course if it works then 2.3.3 TWRP should no longer work(which is what I thought happened and why you couldn't boot TWRP initially) so you'd have to try the 2.8.7 at that point.
....So, if im in TWRP 2330 now, and I install KK3013Bootloader.zip, it will then no longer boot to TRWP ... is that correct? If so, how then do i get TWRP 285 or 287 working ?
....think i'm getting a smidge lost at this bit lol
[update] - cannot install anything in TRWP 2330 as its not recognizing my 64gb sdcard (formatted to fat32) ... does it have to be a certain formatted type FAT/FAT32/EXT12/3/4 or other ?
Also, i couldnt find a working download link for anyone's scripts... many thanks
the_xlr8r said:
I think I'm breaking it when i get to here...
1) You could try the bootloader install inside TWRP again, seems like you can recover if it fails now. Of course if it works then 2.3.3 TWRP should no longer work(which is what I thought happened and why you couldn't boot TWRP initially) so you'd have to try the 2.8.7 at that point.
So, if im in TWRP 2330 now, and I install KK3013Bootloader.zip, it will then no longer boot to TRWP ? is that correct. If so, how then do i get TWRP 285 or 287 working ?
[update] - cannot install anything in TRWP 2330 as its not recognizing my 64gb sdcard (formatted to fat32) ... does it have to be a certain formatted type FAT/FAT32/EXT12/3/4 or other ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For #1 You install the bootloader zip. Swipe install then reboot. It won't do anything at first because it installs the "blob" (which is the bootloader) to the staging partition. Reboots for 15 seconds and installs the blob. The only way at that point to get a newer TWRP is by booting bootloader to fastboot, and then fastboot flash the newer TWRP on to it.
No it should recognize fat32. There was something about storage being realigned between versions too. You could always use adb too I guess.
adb push bootloaderXXXX.zip /data/media ?
The end of this thread may be usefully too
[RECOVERY][NABI2] TWRP 2.3.3.0, 2.8.5.0 testing
This is an update to the TWRP recovery for the Nabi 2. At this point this recovery is still considered in testing. The normal disclaimers apply. Have a good backup moved to your computer from the previous recovery. Before starting this...
forum.xda-developers.com
The original TWRP posts
Nabi 2 Root and Gapps Install
#include /* * Your warranty is now void. * * I am not responsible for bricked devices, dead SD cards, * thermonuclear war, or you getting fired because the alarm app failed. Please * do some research if you have any concerns about features...
forum.xda-developers.com
Nabi 2 Root and Gapps Install
#include /* * Your warranty is now void. * * I am not responsible for bricked devices, dead SD cards, * thermonuclear war, or you getting fired because the alarm app failed. Please * do some research if you have any concerns about features...
forum.xda-developers.com
thanks, am i downloading the correct TWRP zip ?
TWRP 2.8.5.0 Released
TWRP 2.8.5.0 is out now for all currently supported devices.
twrp.me
Which version Gapps should i be using ?
The Open GApps Project
OpenGApps.org offers information and pre-built packages of The Open GApps Project. The Open GApps Project is an open-source effort to script the automatic generation of up-to-date Google Apps packages. All Android versions and platforms supported.
opengapps.org
the_xlr8r said:
thanks, am i downloading the correct TWRP zip ?
TWRP 2.8.5.0 Released
TWRP 2.8.5.0 is out now for all currently supported devices.
twrp.me
Which version Gapps should i be using ?
The Open GApps Project
OpenGApps.org offers information and pre-built packages of The Open GApps Project. The Open GApps Project is an open-source effort to script the automatic generation of up-to-date Google Apps packages. All Android versions and platforms supported.
opengapps.org
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No download the TWRP in one of the last 2 links I sent. First is 2.8.5, and other is 2.8.7
I thought on KitKat Fuhu actually has Gapps? You will let Playstore update it to whatever version they stopped with for KitKat support.
There is always NabiLabGUI2015 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x_4btZE2VzYWJ_aag9U20ubIGY9NXjcN/view?usp=sharing
I never really finished the project but it might be easier as it has all the recoveries already in it. Stay away from NVflash/APX stuff for now.
ok , sorry i already went ahead and installed bootloader3103
then ADB'd on twrp-recovery-KKNV7AUS-287.zip
I can now get TWRP 2.9.7.0 loaded up, but still no OS booting once i have rebooted the nabi2...
maybe the OS is missing ..? how do i reinstall it ? (i tried doing a restore by using the old TWRP backup i had from the start , by pasting in the 3013stock files) but that didnt work.
....still stuck, but getting closer
the_xlr8r said:
maybe the OS is missing ..? how do i reinstall it ? (i tried doing a restore by using the old TWRP backup i had from the start , by pasting in the 3013stock files) but that didnt work.
....still stuck, but getting closer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I think we are good, the plan was for you to flash bootloader to proper, and that seems to be the case.
It might not be missing the OS, it might need data/media wiped(factory reset). Of course the tablet is completely wiped during that, don't know if the daughter had stuff on there.
Either way it doesn't hurt to try and restore it again. When you say pasting the 3013 restore files, you mean in the folder with your backup? Over top the files or just a folder in the same folder as the backup?
The fact that Nabilab says 3.0.13 makes me think the system files were restored and not missing. You did all this through NabiLab or TWRP?
hi , tried every way i could
yes, i copied and pasted the 3013stock files over the top of the old backup and tried to restore, still didnt boot to OS.
tried your NabiLab2015 , UK menu didnt open so i just used the US menu.
tried to follow step.2 "Flash Full" , seemed to start ok , but then..... this happened...
Note: using NabiLab2015, I skipped using step 1. to download stock 3013, as it wouldnt do it, so i copied the 3013.zip i had downloaded earlier into this folder. which seemed to allow step 2 to work...
whats best option to use now that it failed at 30% install ? thanks
the_xlr8r said:
hi , tried every way i could
yes, i copied and pasted the 3013stock files over the top of the old backup and tried to restore, still didnt boot to OS.
tried your NabiLab2015 , UK menu didnt open so i just used the US menu.
tried to follow step.2 "Flash Full" , seemed to start ok , but then..... this happened...
Note: using NabiLab2015, I skipped using step 1. to download stock 3013, as it wouldnt do it, so i copied the 3013.zip i had downloaded earlier into this folder. which seemed to allow step 2 to work...
whats best option to use now that it failed at 30% install ? thanks
View attachment 5718161
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like the ADB connection reset. This step is copying the files to the tablet to data/media. It failed at addon. Either cable to computer had a glitch or maybe data/media(internal storage) is full. You can retry again, it didn't flash anything to device at all.
Maybe in TWRP, go to advanced, terminal and type bdf? See if filesystem looks ok. Seems like a cable issue right now though
[UPDATE]
thankyou sir for all your help.
after another try on a Flash Full , everything was installed and it rebooted and updated.
i'm so glad your email still worked after 10 years of not looking at this nabi stuff , otherwise this nabi of mine would be in the bin before now.. lol.... @)
..couple of things, now that its on android 4.4 etc , is it safe to perform any further updates ?
Its running as a US version now, will that affect anything with me being in the UK ?
still not able to get external sdcard detected in TWRP... any ideas ?
many thanks
the_xlr8r said:
[UPDATE]
thankyou sir for all your help.
after another try on a Flash Full , everything was installed and it rebooted and updated.
i'm so glad your email still worked after 10 years of not looking at this nabi stuff , otherwise this nabi of mine would be in the bin before now.. lol.... @)
one last thing, now that its on android 4.4 etc , is it safe to perform any further updates ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, havent thought about Nabi's in probably 2 years. Some of my favorite memories were helping people on Christmas Day, or this Dad from Brazil on his son's birthday, Mom from Italy etc, etc and imagining the kids didn't even know all the panic haha.
You are pretty much done at 4.4. Really no OS level updates to do. Fuhu never did anything else, the source code they gave us was worthless for kernel building, and honestly this Tegra chipset was at it end anyway. Like I said earlier Google play services will update to the latest for the kitkat version, and that will be it. Apps that still support Android this old will have updates of course.
EDIT: Its funny about NabiLabGUI2015. I get emails about my google drive link because link is so old and I have to manually share it the zip for it. I forgot that it would have been really useful if I ever finished it.
most of the trouble I was facing was working links on the forum, hardly any worked and I spent days searching.
even searching for NabiLab2015 proved impossible. Only for you providing a new link, i would never have found it... maybe you could update some old posts with fresh links, and that will make some old-timers like myself, feel young again trying this stuff lol.
but andyways, thank you again so much for your help. theres not many out there in this day and age, that would have bothered... so i salute you sir!
kind regards
stay safe
ps. my daughter says Im the best dad in the world again ... I told her the wizard on the tinterweb fixed it using some of Gandalf's magic....
I've gone through numerous threads about "unbricking" but I have not been able to find any specific instructions for what to do in my situation. I have installed Ubuntu on a USB drive in order to access ADB/Fastboot and have allowed myself to spend a few days troubleshooting the problem myself, but must admit that I am in over my head and require some sort of guidance if possible. Any insight or help is appreciated.
How I got to where I am:
I believe when I installed TWRP I had to use the build prop exploit, but I can't remember clearly
At some point after installing TWRP, I believe I removed SafeStrap
I installed the CM-11 ROM and used it for a period of time without issue
CM-12 for Thor was released, so I installed it over the CM-11 installation I believe
I realized that by installing CM-12, I had made my gf's save files for Final Fantasy inaccessible
I tried to restore to a backup I had made of CM-11 and was met with a bootloop
By trying to "start from scratch", I wiped all options allowed without realizing the consequences
Any reboots of the device brings it to a black screen after the gray Kindle Fire logo
Here are some observations I have made while trying to figure out a solution:
In TWRP, ADB shows the device as being in "recovery"
In "adb shell" with the device booted into TWRP, the command "su" produces "/sbin/sh: su: not found"
I am allowed to drag .zip files into "Internal Storage" for the device, but flashing "13.3.1.0.zip" or "cm-12 ... .zip", for example, leads to the device booting into a black screen (I have tried mounting /system in TWRP)
Fastboot commands tend to hang on the linux terminal with the device not responding to commands
EDIT: After a little dicking around, I found out how to make the device show up under Windows 8.1 by using a guide outlined here: http://forums.team-nocturnal.com/index.php/topic/1362-how-to-adb-fastboot-in-windows-xp-7-81-10/
I am now familiarizing myself with ADB/Fastboot commands a bit more to see if I can figure anything out on my own.
I haven't been able to figure this out on my own - is there anyone who could give me some advice about my situation?
Basically TLDR is that I did a factory reset on TWRP, I can boot into TWRP but can't seem to flash anything, though I can put zips on my internal storage.
aimlessanomaly said:
I haven't been able to figure this out on my own - is there anyone who could give me some advice about my situation?
Basically TLDR is that I did a factory reset on TWRP, I can boot into TWRP but can't seem to flash anything, though I can put zips on my internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound like you either lost write permissions on the system partition or the partition contents are corrupt. I have also heard problems within the data partition can create flashing problems. Have you tried the advanced wipe functions in twrp? You'll need to do a little poking around to determine which items are safe to wipe. Obviously you don't want to touch boot and recovery but (intelligently) neither is an option in twrp.
Davey126 said:
Sound like you either lost write permissions on the system partition or the partition contents are corrupt. I have also heard problems within the data partition can create flashing problems. Have you tried the advanced wipe functions in twrp? You'll need to do a little poking around to determine which items are safe to wipe. Obviously you don't want to touch boot and recovery but (intelligently) neither is an option in twrp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get a lot of errors involving /system when I try to mount and then repair or flash anything. Also, when I reboot it often says "Your device does not appear to be rooted - Install SuperSU now?" When I swipe to install it just restarts normally to my white kindle fire logo.
EDIT: I somehow was able to flash the cm11 ROM onto my kindle, rebooted, and my tablet is working again! I tried a bunch of different repair options and even used the option that makes you type out "yes" ( can't remember the name, need to sleep atm), but somehow got it working. Thanks for the help so far.
Hi guys
I've tried everything, i bought this watch today and i was so hyped about it.
I tried to update it to 6.0.1 using adb on my mac.
The problem is when i do this command "adb reboot recovery" and then "adb devices" it shows no devices! (before entering recovery it actually shows the device in the list!
This is so wierd and there is absolutely no solution that worksfor me... anyone has any ideas?
Edit: The problem more clearly:
Ok guys so the problem was that my LG G Watch (square) for some unknown reason wasn't available in recovery mode through adb, that means when i would use the command "adb devices" in recovery mode, i would see the empty list without any devices, while anywhere outside the recovery (system, fastboot etc) i was able to communicate with the device. (Since i was so frustrated i didn't make it clear enough in the original post ) And my watch was on 4.4! ( :| )
The solution:
Ok, so the problem was the watch, because i tried a OS X (and a windows on the same mac) and 2 windows laptops, all with drivers installed (and done the "update driver..." stuff on all) and the problem still persisted.
This solution is for people whose device is not displayed while in the recovery mode in cmd/terminal.
This is what i did: (i didn't do this in the order because i literally tried every solution on the internet! but this is the order that i was finally able to solve the problem with.)
1. I downloaded this tool from this topic (go to the link, click on LG G Watch > G watch script tool > LG G Watch Restore Tools V9.8.zip)
2. Run this bat (i used a windows but it works on the mac too) 1 LG G Watch Tools for Windows.bat
3. Let it recognize the device
4. When the blue list comes up choose 4 ( you should be in bootloader)[cmd > adb reboot bootloader] when it's done, your device should be on 5.1.1.
5. Download this tool from this topic
6. In cmd/terminal type "adb reboot bootloader" then type "fastboot flash recovery [draggedfile] and drag the downloaded .img to the cmd and press enter.
7. Now you have installed a custom recovery called CWM
8. In cmd type "fastboot reboot" then after reboot "adb reboot recovery"
9. Now inside this tool swip down to "install ..." and swip (to right i guess) and stay here on the watch.
10. Now in cmd type "adb push -p [draggedfile] /sdcard/0/Download" and drag the 6.0.1 OTA update and press enter
11. Now the update is in your device as a zip file in this path : /sdcard/0/Download (it didn't work when i wanted to push it to "/sdcard" folder so i had to go deeper)
12. Now swip on install from sdcard and navigate to the path and choose the zip file.
13. Done! you have successfully updated your device without going into recovery mode!
Thank you very much @lfom for sticking to this topic and helping out in the process!
I just tried it with windows as well and ain't working... im so frustrated...
There's a guide in General section that you may want to read:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g-watch/general/guide-how-to-fix-6-0-1-adb-bug-t3347122
Thank you very much for your response, but my watch is on 4.4w and i just want to update it because im not able to update it via the sysyem update function... So i guess that guide is no help to me
miladkalbasi said:
Thank you very much for your response, but my watch is on 4.4w and i just want to update it because im not able to update it via the sysyem update function... So i guess that guide is no help to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are on 4.4 and want to update? What else? Rooted and custom recovery?
I think there's a tool to flash stock LG ROM, you may want to search for it. This tool may help too:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g-watch/development/script-lg-g-watch-tool-t2820863
lfom said:
So you are on 4.4 and want to update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, i bought this watch yesterday and it's on 4.4 and i want to update to 6.0.1 (or any newer update)
lfom said:
What else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never had developer experience with any android device before so i learned everything in like 6-7 hours, therefore there is a high probability that i might have made mistakes in the way but here's what i have done so far:
1. i tried to update the watch from "About" on the watch itself but kept getting "Something went wrong" error and couldn't fix it.
2. so i moved on to use my mac to do the update which took me 4-5 hours to figure out what SDK platform tools, ADB, OTA updates, bootloader, fastboot etc means.
3. i figured out all this and went on until i reached here: i have to use this commend in the terminal (it's like windows cmd): adb devices
so that i know my device is there and authorized on the companion android device (i see the device in the command shell), i then proceed to this command : adb reboot recovery , as soon as i type this command and press enter, the device reboots and enters recovery mode but it is also vanished from the system, by typing adb devices i no longer see it, i just see an empty list.
4. i also did unlock, wipe, restore back to stock ROMs (5.1.1 ROMS), tried TWRP (i then realized i can't do OTA updates with this tool)
5. i did all of these steps several times and always got the same results!
6. i also tried the windows on my mac and got the exact same results.
7. i tried 3 different windows laptops in the household (2 of which run win 8 and one runs win 7) but was not able to make it through installing the drivers (i couldn't see the android device when i clicked on update drivers...)
lfom said:
Rooted and custom recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no i haven't rooted the device
lfom said:
I think there's a tool to flash stock LG ROM, you may want to search for it. This tool may help too:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g-watch/development/script-lg-g-watch-tool-t2820863
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for your suggestion, i have already tried that and it doesn't actually give me any more options that i already have.
I've come to the believe that it's either my laptop (which only has 2 USB 3.0 ports and some people say it causes issues) or my watch. I have to try to use a different computer but i don't think i can access more computers or solve the driver problem on the 3 existing ones.
I really wish i could solve this by myself, i live in a country that i can't access warranty and stuff so i either have to fix it myself or get a professional's help.
i found this topic as well, that's exactly my problem.
I can communicate with the watch in bootloader and TWRP but not in the recovery mode (stock)
Well, that thread has a tip about how to access watch in Recovery, it says it will be listed in Windows as an unlisted device, you have to install drivers for that...
It seems that 4.4w is too old so it won't get updated. But I remember reading another thread where the user was able to update it, probably using a full image of system or using TWRP.
If you can get to stock 5.1.1 I remember reading that if you install TWRP you can flash 6.0.1 zip, so maybe it's the best way to go. Also, probably you can force OTA on 5.1.1 (maybe any 5.x) if you do a watch reset while it's in cradle.
lfom said:
Well, that thread has a tip about how to access watch in Recovery, it says it will be listed in Windows as an unlisted device, you have to install drivers for that...
It seems that 4.4w is too old so it won't get updated. But I remember reading another thread where the user was able to update it, probably using a full image of system or using TWRP.
If you can get to stock 5.1.1 I remember reading that if you install TWRP you can flash 6.0.1 zip, so maybe it's the best way to go. Also, probably you can force OTA on 5.1.1 (maybe any 5.x) if you do a watch reset while it's in cradle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your response.
Do you mean i use boot, recovery, and system images to get to 5.1.1? i have already done this (through bootloader) and (i guess it's called the ROM?) it's on 5.1.1.
I used TWRP but when i try to use adb sideload and use the 6.0.1 zip file it gives me error saying it failed. (gives me this error on the mac : Total xfer: 0.00x , and "failed" on the watch)
I used CWM right now and it gives me the same results as the stock recovery (not being able to communicate when i enter recovery but when i go back to menu i can communicate with the device again!)
Is flashing the update more complicated that i think it is? i can't find a tutorial for TWRP and flashing an update...
O and about the last part that u added, i don't know how to force anything in that matter...
miladkalbasi said:
Thanks for your response.
Do you mean i use boot, recovery, and system images to get to 5.1.1? i have already done this (through bootloader) and (i guess it's called the ROM?) it's on 5.1.1.
I used TWRP but when i try to use adb sideload and use the 6.0.1 zip file it gives me error saying it failed. (gives me this error on the mac : Total xfer: 0.00x , and "failed" on the watch)
I used CWM right now and it gives me the same results as the stock recovery (not being able to communicate when i enter recovery but when i go back to menu i can communicate with the device again!)
Is flashing the update more complicated that i think it is? i can't find a tutorial for TWRP and flashing an update...
O and about the last part that u added, i don't know how to force anything in that matter...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROM is basically kernel+system, what the device needs to run an operational system, but may include other files like boot and recovery.
As "to force an update", you don't need do to anything else but reset the watch while it's on cradle charging. It's a way to force the system to update to latest firmware, as checking in the About page does not work always if there is an actual update available. It's more like a trick. But I am not sure if it only works if watch is stock (all files from manufacturer's ROM). If I remember correctly, as it's possible to flash 6.0.1 update directly from TWRP then maybe OTA also works with TWRP (I can't verify as my LG G Watch W100 is all stock).
As for adb, probably only custom recovery (TWRP is the most common) supports adb, stock recovery probably not. Anyway, this thread is about rooting with a working TWRP (it says the official one has a bug with 6.0.1) maybe it's what you need:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g-watch/development/guide-how-to-root-lg-g-watch-6-0-1-t3320512
Oh, and by the way, you can push files to /sdcard before booting to TWRP, it won't be erased unless you factory reset the watch or use recovery to wipe data partition, the same way it works on phone.
lfom said:
ROM is basically kernel+system, what the device needs to run an operational system, but may include other files like boot and recovery.
As "to force an update", you don't need do to anything else but reset the watch while it's on cradle charging. It's a way to force the system to update to latest firmware, as checking in the About page does not work always if there is an actual update available. It's more like a trick. But I am not sure if it only works if watch is stock (all files from manufacturer's ROM). If I remember correctly, as it's possible to flash 6.0.1 update directly from TWRP then maybe OTA also works with TWRP (I can't verify as my LG G Watch W100 is all stock).
As for adb, probably only custom recovery (TWRP is the most common) supports adb, stock recovery probably not. Anyway, this thread is about rooting with a working TWRP (it says the official one has a bug with 6.0.1) maybe it's what you need:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g-watch/development/guide-how-to-root-lg-g-watch-6-0-1-t3320512
Oh, and by the way, you can push files to /sdcard before booting to TWRP, it won't be erased unless you factory reset the watch or use recovery to wipe data partition, the same way it works on phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I solved the problem!
Funny thing is i didn’t see your answer and fixed it by myself but you actually proposed exactly what i had to do! Thank you very much for your effort and spending your time on this topic!
For others who might run into the same problem in the future I'm gonna update the first post and say what i did.
Cheers!
So I got my shiny new device today, and it feels really nice. I worked with the launcher it came with, tried another one, and realized that yep, I gotta root and install a new rom. The notification bar just annoys me too much as I'm used to having quick actions and other things in there.
So, I followed a few guides, and finally worked my way through to having my command line find my device and can successfully reboot it into fastboot mode.
At that point, I realized that I can boot into recoveries without flashing them first (essentially trying them out to see how it works). However, I tried the 4 official version on the twrp site, and one made by a user here (cuoco92). They all successfully boot into the recover using the command "fastboot boot nameOfFileHere.img". At this point, every single recovery failed to respond to touch and volume presses. I can press the power button to turn off the screen, and pressing power to turn the screen back on shows a locked recovery screen, but I can't slide the screen to unlock it.
This is quite concerning to me. I don't want to flash a recovery for good if it's not working properly. I hope this makes sense. Or, is it normal to just flash a recovery and hope for the best? Do recoveries work with just booting to them without being flashed?
I haven't rooted and/or flashed any devices in about 5+ years, the last being a phone from virgin mobile that supported sd cards. When installing new roms, do we store the zips in the root of the phone, or does this get cleared out/deleted when doing the wipe cache/dalvik/etc?
Personally, I just want to make sure I don't rush into this, as there seems to be fragmented results when searching around for twrp not working with touch. I know these things have been asked before plenty of times, and I hope I don't come across as another "ugh, this again" post. I really appreciate any responses!
you never did, then just leave it as it is...its a nice phone eui is not bad... take it easy
Try booting the official TWRP recovery. As far as I remember, some of the versions tweaked by Cuoco92 had issues with the touch panel.
Anyway, EUI is not that bad, as your were told. While I used it, I also used an app called "Notification Toggles", which lets you get Quick Settings like toggles on notification area. It's nice and easy to set up, and the results, although not the same as having the AOSP toggles, is quite nice and convenient.
BTW, which stock ROM did your phone come with?
I have tried 4 different official twrp files (all from the twrp site). My phone is an x820 6gb/64gb and came with EUI version: 5.8.019S (Stable). EUI is nice, very fast and sleek. Maybe I do just need to get used to it, or maybe it's just me itching to try out the different options available since I finally have a phone is not carrier/manufacturer locked down.
Heyyo, hmm that's very odd indeed! I wonder if maybe by temporary booting Cuoco92's TWRP it could have messed up your recovery hmm...
I'd recommend first to flash the stock recovery over your current one and then reboot to fastboot and then flash TWRP. Hopefully this will erase any problem that Cuoco92's recovery could have caused.
This was the guide I followed and it worked flawlessly for me
https://forum.xda-developers.com/le-max-2/how-to/protocol-backup-stock-rom-flash-stock-t3517151
I never actually flashed any of them. I have only ever just tried booting into them using "fastboot boot recovery name.img". I have not used the fastboot flash command for any of the files.
The only thing I can do after booting the recoveries is hold the power button and eventually the phone will boot up normally.
Remember that I just wanted to boot them to make sure they worked before flashing them. I'll be checking out the guide you linked shortly.
Haven't flashed any of them eh? Hmm should work just fine then... Have you tried TWRP 3.0.2-0 ? I know that one was built with Marshmallow sources
As for which ROM to try? I'd recommend OmniROM if you want to try a custom Nougat ROM.
If you want to see why I think so? I made a massive post or two about it here heh
https://forum.xda-developers.com/le-max-2/help/party-rom-best-help-t3691165/
Thank you so much for the guide you linked. I'm making a little bit of progress here.
I found a twrp recover by cuocos92 that is labeled V3 (apparently from what I read in other threads, V3 seems to be good with the 6gb/64gb models). This recovery allows the use of the touchscreen . Remember that I am only using the "fastboot boot" command so no flashing yet.
Now that I am in a working recovery, I kept hitting "keep read only" so that the stock recovery would not be replaced. I set out to make a backup. Well that kept failing with attempts of trying to mount /system and such. Off to more reading, found out that using the Wipe->Swipe to Factory Reset inside twrp fixes this. I did that. I successfully created a backup.
Now to try to flash the SuperSU zip I have, which was previously copied to the root of the phone from my pc. Can't see any zip files on the internal storage. Reboot the phone (forgetting that it takes a long time after the wipe). Copy the backup to my pc. Copy the SuperSU back to root of phone. Restart the process of adb and fastboot -> back into the cuocos92 V3 recovery. Still no zip to be found. Couldn't mount system again...
Did some more reading. I just attempted the Wipe->Format data. I am currently rebooting back into the phone to set it up again. Apparently, a lot of people say this needs to be done if we did not reboot after unlocking the bootloader. Since twrp has been asking for a password each time I entered it, the format data is supposed to solve this.
I'll edit/post again with more steps or results.
I apologize for the second post here, but this seems more than should go into an appended edit:
After doing the Wipe->Format data, it's advised to reboot back into the recovery. Without flashing the twrp cuocos92 recovery, my thoughts are it would just be back into the stock recovery. At least the twrp version works, so I have no problems with flashing it. And then I'll have to Wipe->Format data again, reboot back into recovery, and then I can flash my SuperSU zip. But how can I get my SuperSU zip on the phone?
Doesn't Wipe->Format data remove it? Everytime I reboot my phone after that the SuperSU on the root of the phone is gone. I can't seem to mount to my pc from the recovery either, clicking the usb storage just unchecks itself right away, and clicking the enable MTP doesn't seem to do anything. So, even if I flash the recovery, Wipe-Format data again, reboot back into the recovery, I still don't see a way of getting the SuperSU zip onto the phone anyways.
I know it probably sounds like I'm whining by now about how things aren't as easy as it seems. I'm trying to be descriptive in what I am doing and what's happening.
Hmm by chance are you using Windows 10? At least I've noticed for me it fails to properly mount the correct drivers for ADB and MTP for TWRP. I'd recommend checking device manager.
If I remember correctly here's what mine looked like at first
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wXaqbi3OeH3bKEf62
Select MTP > update driver > browse my computer > let me pick > (standard MTP Device) > MTP USB Device
Sorry I'm not in front of my PC but I'm sure it's something like that to solve it
If that doesn't work? You can always use...
Code:
adb push ROM.zip /sdcard
Which will copy the zip file to the root of your data storage (on the Le Max 2 much like the One Plus 3 they use /Sdcard as a shortcut since we don't have external Sdcard hardware).
As for system read only? Swipe to allow modifications. Can't flash a ROM properly if the system is read only eh? Hence the failed to mount system.
It's really just there as a disclaimer to cover their ass in case people use TWRP improperly and brick their device. Following green man gaming's guide is safe as I've used it plus many other people as you'll see in his replies
I'd also recommend following the guide and flashing TWRP to your recovery. I only did boot recovery image for backup and then booted to EUI and copied that backup to my PC.
Format data is handy to get rid of encryption and also give you full access to your storage capacity because when I didn't before I didn't get 54.43GB of data storage only something like 40GB.
Tbh I haven't used any custom EUI ROMs but if you're fighting with TWRP? I know Cuoco92's eui has a fastboot installable version
Hope this helps
Well thank you so much for the information. I am running windows 10, but never saw mtp under portable devices, only the phone name Le Max 2. That's ok, as I booted (still not flashed) into recovery and this time I swiped to allow modifications. I still couldn't mount /system but I was able to use the adb push command and the SuperSU file appeared inside the /sdcard directory when looking under Install inside twrp. I swiped to flash the zip, then hit reboot system. Looking in the SuperSU app, I noticed that the setting "Install SuperSU into /system" is greyed out. Well, at least I think it worked.
At this point in time, since things appear to be working, I'll be flashing the recovery and installing OmniRom (it was either this or Resurrection Remix). I think if the play store just works on OmniRom like people mention, it'll be worth it.
So, my steps will be to:
adb -> fastboot -> fastboot flash recovery fileName.img
recovery -> wipe -> factory wipe (using factory to get rid of system encryption) -> reboot back into recovery
recovery -> wipe -> dalvik/cache (do i still need to do this after factory wipe?)
adb -> adb push romFileName.zip /sdcard
adb -> adb push gapps.zip /sdcard
recovery -> install -> /sdcard -> romFileName.zip
recover -> install -> /sdcard -> gapps.zip
At any point do I need to flash SuperSU again? I guess I should after flashing the rom/gapps because, afterall, SuperSU is an app.
Once again, thank you so much for all the information that you have already provided!
Heyyo, it's always recommended to do a full wipe when installing a different ROM so you should format data, wipe system, data, dalvik and cache and then install the ROM of choice with Gapps of choice
Wiping system is OK when flashing a ROM as it'll write into system.. plus there's always the risk of instability if system is not wiped if a Gremlin setting is left over from previous ROM
I'd recommend using Magisk v14.3 over SuperSU as SuperSU doesn't have the same functionality as Magisk for passing SafetyNet...
Plus Magisk is full open source software (FOSS) where as SuperSU is closed source so gotta love that open source (this part is more personal preference since Android is built upon open source and people working together).
Plus there's really cool Magisk modules you can do like ART Optimizer and so fourth if you check the XDA forum section for it
Also, you're welcome! We all had our start on XDA at different points and passing on the knowledge I find is just as important as the ROMs we love
Don't use SuperSU. Magisk is the way to go for rooting nowadays. Easy, systemless, updated frequently to pass safetynet. It's a no brainer.
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?
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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....
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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 ?????