Database Users

Flash recovery image Droid Eris How To

First of all thanks to Amon_RA for this. I had no part in creating this. I am just providing a how to flash it. There may be an eaiser way but this is what worked for me.
First let me say I am on a Mac. If you are on windows the adb commands should work fine but I can't say how to get adb working for you.
1. download flash_image Here Link updated 3/17/10
2. Open the terminal and copy and paste the following commands.
adb shell [hit enter]
su [hit enter]
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system [hit enter]
3. In a new terminal window (don't close the original one).
adb push flash_image /system/bin [hit enter]
exit [hit enter]
4. Now in the original terminal window
chmod 755 /system/bin/flash_image [hit enter]
5. Now exit all termainl windows and reboot your phone.
6. Download Amon_AR's recovery Here.
7. Mount your phones sd card and drop recovery-RA-eris-v1.6.2.img on to it and eject your phone.
8. Open the Terminal and copy and paste the following commands with the phone connected to your computer.
8. adb shell [hit enter]
9. su [hit enter]
10. flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery-RA-eris-v1.6.2.img
11. To get into recovery turn off you phone and hold the Volume Up + Power until it boots into recovery.
That's it.
I made an automator script the help all of you having problems getting adb working. Make sure you have the android sdk downloaded and named android-sdk Put it in your home folder and then run this script. Let me know how it works for you.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage you may do to your phone. I am only providing instructions on what worked for me. This is very beta. Good luck. Enjoy the nandroid goodness.

First link is Dead...........
ooopps Srry my bad, Its up.

You should mention that the chmod command is in the original terminal window. Also, you could do it in one window if you put:
adb remount
adb push bla /bla/bla
at the begining of everything.
adb push flash_image to /system/bin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think there's a "to" in that command either. lol

testing567 said:
You should mention that the chmod command is in the original terminal window. Also, you could do it in one window if you put:
adb remount
adb push bla /bla/bla
at the begining of everything.
I don't think there's a "to" in that command either. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I don't think the "to" is going to work either. I made the corrections.

Just a quick question. What does this boot too. Im new to all this phone stuff. I did the upgrade to 2.1 leaked so just been searching the forum here each day to see if a solution has come about. i just noticed v.1.6.2 in there so was curious as to what this will do.

Will this put the regular android on it or keep it the same, sorry just kinda getting started with android

coupla questions -
For northmendo:
Is the reboot in the middle of this even necessary? ( flash_image won't work right if /system is still mounted rw ?)
For testing567:
Do all the adb shell commands run as root against the 2.1_root install ... or maybe the above could be simplified even more by just running "adb root" first?
For Austinjs0102 (not a question)
This process only applies (at the moment) to phones with "2.1_root" - there isn't a path at present to go from "2.1_leak" to a rooted phone. Assuming that a way to roll back (or get root) for "2.1_leak" eventually is found, then the answer to your question is this: it is a process to apply a custom recovery partition to the phone that include tools that will allow you to perform complete phone backups and restore operations. This can be critical for devs who are experimenting with writing boot or system partitions to their phones - if something goes wrong with their experiments, they can "boot" their phone into recovery mode and restore back to a working configuration. To reiterate, though: this only applies to phones that are already rooted.
bftb0

Thanks a bunch that helps clear up info.
hopefully the hard working dev's here find a 2.1 leaked fix for us early people, if not then i may need to lose the phone lol.

Austinjs0102 said:
Just a quick question. What does this boot too. Im new to all this phone stuff. I did the upgrade to 2.1 leaked so just been searching the forum here each day to see if a solution has come about. i just noticed v.1.6.2 in there so was curious as to what this will do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in same boat as you...

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a phone dev. I've done software development for many years, but never messed with the phone.
Can someone explain why we can't just load the 1.5 rooted PB001IMG.ZIP file over our 2.1 leaked handset? Is it a matter of the version number being lower? If so, since the 1.5 is rooted, couldn't someone just up the version number to whatever the 2.1 leak is plus one? Then, once it's loaded, write a little app to drop the number back where it should be?
TIA for the education.
Doc

DocTauri said:
Let me start off by saying that I'm not a phone dev. I've done software development for many years, but never messed with the phone.
Can someone explain why we can't just load the 1.5 rooted PB001IMG.ZIP file over our 2.1 leaked handset? Is it a matter of the version number being lower? If so, since the 1.5 is rooted, couldn't someone just up the version number to whatever the 2.1 leak is plus one? Then, once it's loaded, write a little app to drop the number back where it should be?
TIA for the education.
Doc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(I suppose I shouldn't respond, 'cuz DocTauri is jacking northmendo's thread. Sorry north!)
Doc,
I understand exactly what you are getting at... and also think I can explain why it's not easy.
First - what has been discovered so far was not a "root break-in", but rather an engineering ROM with root "built in". It is cryptographically signed so that a production phone will recognize the .zip file as a valid ROM. That first validation step has nothing to do with version numbers.
If the "SPL" on an unrooted phone was doing something as simple as looking at a couple of bytes in the initial file downloaded to the phone, then yes - doing what you suggest would work... just patch a few bytes using a hex editor. Unfortunately, the phone SPL is quite sophisiticated: it verifies the crypto signature on the entire zip file first, unpacks that zip, and then examines the contents of an individual file within the zip archive (and possibly even unpacks one of the YAFFS image files and then looks in a file within the YAFFS image) to read version numbers.
That means that the fundamental issue is the cryptographic signature on the .zip file. If you do anything which breaks step #1, step #2 (version # checks) are never reached. Certainly an individual file could be byte-patched, and then images and zip files could be re-assembled... but you would have no way to sign the zip with HTC's private key. Or you could even attempt to byte-patch the zip file - but then that would break the crypto signature. Either way, the crypto signature on the zip file is no longer valid.
If you have HTC's private RSA key, let us know!
bftb0

bftb0 said:
coupla questions -
For northmendo:
Is the reboot in the middle of this even necessary? ( flash_image won't work right if /system is still mounted rw ?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I added the reboot because. All I would get is out of memory errors. The reboot fixed that.
e.g.
mtd: read error at 0x001e0000 (Out of memory)
mtd: read error at 0x00200000 (Out of memory)
mtd: read error at 0x00220000 (Out of memory)
mtd: read error at 0x00240000 (Out of memory)

northmendo -
That first link (that you corrected) now points to the recovery image, not "flash_image".
Note that the "flash_image" executable which Amon_RA originally included with his first recovery (.zip) is identical to the /system/bin/flash_image binary which ships on the Eris with 1.5 (1.17.605.1); the md5sum signature (of both of those files) is:
16559f2c27d08ff1ddfcaca05fbf10fb flash_image
That's also the same md5 signature as the "flash_image" file which was posted to dl.dropbox.
I don't have 2.1_root installed on my phone, but if the same binary is already on the phone after installing the 2.1_root ROM, there's no need to include those steps in your instructions. It is also possible that even if the "2.1_root" version of /system/bin/flash_image is different, it would also work.
Note that the only reason I bring it up is that your instructions might be (a) unnecessary, and (b) are encouraging folks to overwrite a binary that is already on the phone. No harm (but unneeded) if it is the same, and unknown harm if it is different.
Also (while I'm at it)
901167f6b5541b488c8e0404bceb0631 recovery-RA-eris-v1.6.2.img ***
It appears to me ( reading between the lines here ) that Amon_RA is trying to improve his v1.6.2 recovery - folks might want to keep an eye on that thread.
An alternative and quicker method than all of this is what zifnab06 suggested here. It's only two lines long, after all.
bftb0
[Edit]***Wow, my post was obsolete the moment I posted it - don't know how I missed Amon_RA's announcement post. Note that there appears to be several versions of "v1.6.2" floating around now - make sure to check his post if you want the most recent.

bftb0 said:
It appears to me ( reading between the lines here ) that Amon_RA is trying to improve his v1.6.2 recovery - folks might want to keep an eye on that thread.
An alternative and quicker method than all of this is what zifnab06 suggested here. It's only two lines long, after all.
bftb0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will keep the link updated to the newest version here. Also I tried the quicker method without success. I will try it again when I get home from work.
Thanks

bftb0 said:
(I suppose I shouldn't respond, 'cuz DocTauri is jacking northmendo's thread. Sorry north!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, didn't mean to. Understood on the explaination. I didn't realize it was a different rom image, I thought the key had been broken, allowing someone to resign a modified image.
Thanks!
Doc

I used this method and it was all really easy until I got to the end. It just says usage and then sits their and does nothing. I unplugged it and went into recovery and see the android dude and a yellow traiangle and exclamation point. Did I forget something? Is their an alternative way to flashing this?

sdk issues for flashing recovery...
Hey guys,
Im a noob but here's whats going on, Ive downloaded sdk extracted it to my c drive, ive downloaded all the required packages reccomended in the forum, Ive up dated my driver and still my machine doesnt recognize my phone...
Ive also extracted the recovery image to my tools directory and added the the path in enviromentals...
So at this point Im stuck as to how to get my pc (xp) phone and sdk in sync in order to get this recovery image working...So any advice would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Chris

Spencer_Moore said:
I used this method and it was all really easy until I got to the end. It just says usage and then sits their and does nothing. I unplugged it and went into recovery and see the android dude and a yellow traiangle and exclamation point. Did I forget something? Is their an alternative way to flashing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try this.
If you have your phone pluged in and type in to the terminal
adb reboot recovery [hit enter]
After you phone reboots it should come up with text options to do back-ups and restores. Do you get any of that?

Anyone know the key combo to get into recovery without adb?

having issues getting adb
got the command prompts working in xp, however while trying the methods here in the forum i am getting adb not foud errors. Any suggestions?

[Solved - 3.1 OTA update working!] Back to stock and backup for newbies TUTORIAL

This tutorial is made to help those getting an Iconia for the first time as well as those who lost/didn't backup before going to custom ROMs.
We will try to help you using more than one variant #1, #2 etc to backup and restore your tablet. If you're new stick to the #1s in the first post. If you know a little Android and a little Linux, head to the second post.
Acer does not provide any full-restore ROMs at the moment so your best option is to create your own backup in case something goes wrong.
The ultimate goal is to help users restore their OTA (over the air) update function, aka. get the OS as fresh and clean as it was the day it came out of the factory.
Help us help you! The parts of the tutorial that aren't ready or require your attention are marked in RED. If you got:
A new tablet, never flashed with a custom rom, share your original backup with US, you will need it anyway once you decide to experiment!
A new tablet, never updated, share your Firmware and "Operated Countries" (on the back of the box) so we know what stock ROM belongs to which countries or continent.
Knowledge and the will to share it!
Before you start!
Don't be afraid of rooting, it will not break your OTA (un-rooting is a piece of cake) updates and it is essential to do a proper backup!
Back up your user files from music to documents and save games or you might lose them!
When everything fails > Privacy > data reset is a good way to start fresh. Best to use it when trying something new.
Always unfreeze/restore system APKs like telephony etc before formatting/soft resetting (not to be confused with turning on and off again) your tablet.
Any .zip on the micro-sd card will be automatically flashed on POWER & VOL-
Save Acer Recovery Installer, Root, your favorite file explorer on your desktop
Droid Explorer (PC app) can be a great tool to install apps from your PC
Before attempting to OTA update: un-root, make sure all system apps are in place, remove micro-sd, factory reset (some have reported success after these)
Unbricking
Get the right firmware (Full Package, thanks Vache), for your tablet, decrypt it and extract the update.zip
Put it on your micro-sd card. Shut down. Boot with power and VOL - pressed and it will automatically get flashed.
What firmware is right for my country?
Full Package Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.016.01_COM_GEN1
CWM Backup Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.016.05_COM_GEN1 - Provided by flyinghighaero
Update zip Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.105.01_EMEA_GEN3 - Provided by bpivk
EU: AT, BE, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LV, LT, LY, MT, NL, PL, PT, SK, SI, ES, SE, GB, IS, LI, NO, CH, BG, RO, TR.
Full Package Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.104.02_COM_GEN1:
USA
Full Package Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.104.05_COM_GEN1
Canada
Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.112.01_EMEA_CUS7 - Not available
Germany
Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.016.04_COM_GEN1 - Not available
Thailand - Probably Asia, needs confirmation
Full Package Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.104.03_COM_GEN1
Taiwan - Probably Asia, needs confirmation
Acer_A500_1.105.01_EMEA_GEN3 - Not available
reports of Netherlands and Mexico - hard to tell what EMEA means to Acer
Acer_A501_1.309.02_COM_GEN1 - Warning, this is an European ROM for A501 !!! - thanks captainpaella
Did your tablet come with one of the following firmwares or maybe another one? (Settings > About tablet), tell us what countries/continent it is for by checking the back of the box for the "Operated Countries" label and posting it below:
Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.013.01_EMEA_GEN1
Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.104.04_COM_GEN1
Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.016.02_COM_GEN1
Creating a backup with Acer Recovery Installer #1
Root
Acer Recovery Installer
Install clockwork mod:
select "ClockworkMod Recovery rev1.3.4 by thor2002ro"
click "Install Recovery Image"
click "Yes" when asked to backup the current image!!!
Reboot into CW recovery from the app or with VOL- & POWER
Create a full backup: "backup and restore" -> "Full Backup"
If your backup is a fresh stock-only (no previous custom roms flashed) one, please share it. It's located on your micro SD in clockworkmod/backup/[current date] <= This is the CWM folder we need!
Don't forget to restore the original recovery image to be able to install futher updates. Unrooting might be necesary depending on Acer.
Restoring to defaults via CWM #1
Full restore in CWM: "backup and restore" -> "Full Backup"
Enter Acer Recovery Installer and restore recovery.img!
Aditional restoring info
Remember: un-root, remove micro-sd, factory reset if it doesn't work.
Also don't have modified, removed or frozen system apps, wi-fi module, build.prop or any other OS file!
"dd" method in the second post is practical if you'll want to downgrade from a FW that has no root yet - still needs testing (eg. if you update to a future 3.2 you won't be able to go back to 3.1 or 3.0.1 until 3.2 is rooted, because CWM needs root, here's where ADB and "dd" can really come in handy!)
Available backups:
Updates of original Acer_A500_1.016.01_COM_GEN1
CWM backup successfully used by me, containing: Stock 1.016.01_COM_GEN1 OTA updated to 1.139.02. 1.139.02 is a "dud" - a FW update taken down by ACER that breaks updates; to solve this issue flash the update.zip(1.139.05) with the default acer bootloader (restore the original recovery.img from Acer Recovery Installer to get the default acer bootloader)
1.141.05 provided by Thor - Restore with "dd", see post 2!
Please provide your own CWM folder or flexrom, boot, recovery and system.img, full dumps (p1, p2, p3... description for this method below)
Do not provide
system.zip containing system/app files
3.1 ROMs - the purpose here is to know if OTA is working
What worked for me:
Done with CWM!
Un-root, restore to stock, remove micro-sd - probably not all necesary but it worked for me.
First of all I flashed to my default rom: Acer_A500_0.000.00_1.016.01_COM_GEN1 from Acer's server, didn't have a backup.
I installed acer recovery installer, rooted and then CWM restored 1.139.02. This firmware is probably Acer's mistake as it is not available anymore, nor can you OTA update from it.
Then I entered Acer Recovery Installer, restored the original recovery.img, un-rooted and restored to factory defaults.
Placed Acer_A500_1.016.01_1.139.05_COM_GEN1 on my micro SD and rebooted into Acer's recovery (PWR&VOL-) installed with no issues.
After the reboot 4.010.22 was available! Started the download, removed the micro-sd(probably wasn't necessary) and the tablet rebooted and installed the update properly!
Voila, 3.1 (4.010.22, kernel 2.6.36.3) with the help of CWM!
This is all the Info I was able to gather about a full restore. Put it to good use and be productive - tell us your results!

Additional backup and recovery methods
Creating a backup via ADB #2
If you're uncomfortable with ADB, this should work with Terminal Emulator +/- Busybox too. Just skip to step 4.
Or you can try the automatic backup tool, just fire it up and follow the instructions. Root and 1GB on the external SD required.
Get ADB + Java both for x32 even if you have windows on 64 bit!
Get the Iconia A500 USB drivers
Run SDK Manager from "C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk" and let it download it's junk. I've no idea how much of it you'll need.
Go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools"
Create a text file that will contain "cmd" and save it.
Rename your text file ADB.bat and create a shortcut on the desktop for convenience
Root then go to Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging
Open your adb shortcut, connect the tablet and type "adb shell"
"$" will show up, meaning that you are logged in as an User
type "su", accept the superuser request on your tab
"#" you're now Admin and can issue backup commands.
Backup the first 0x680000 bytes of mmcblk0 and all partitions (except cache + data) with dd:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 bs=512 count=13312 of=/mnt/external_sd/dumps/mmcblk0_start
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p1 of=/mnt/external_sd/dumps/p1
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 of=/mnt/external_sd/dumps/p2
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p3 of=/mnt/external_sd/dumps/p3
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/mnt/external_sd/dumps/p5
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p6 of=/mnt/external_sd/dumps/p6
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p7 of=/mnt/external_sd/dumps/p7
Thanks sc2k!
Restoring to factory defaults via Terminal #2
Root
Install Terminal Emulator, Busybox installer and Acer Recovery Installer
Copy system.img, flexrom.img, boot.img, recovery.img in /mnt/sdcard
Run (flash system.img last, it will lock down your tablet and you won't be able to flash the other .img files):
/data/data/com.interphaze.AcerRecoveryInstaller/files/itsmagic
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/flexrom.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p6
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/boot.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p2
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/recovery.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p1
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/system.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p3
Restoring to factory defaults via ADB #3
Get ADB + Java both for x32 even if you have windows on 64 bit!
Get the Iconia A500 USB drivers
Run SDK Manager from "C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk" and let it download it's junk. I've no idea how much of it you'll need.
Go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools"
Create a text file that will contain "cmd" and save it.
Rename your text file ADB.bat and create a shortcut on the desktop for convenience
Root then go to Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging
Open your adb shortcut, connect the tablet and type "adb shell"
"$" will show up, meaning that you are logged in as an User
type "su", accept the superuser request on your tab
"#" you're now Admin and can issue flashing commands.
Install Acer Recovery Installer
Copy system.img, flexrom.img, boot.img, recovery.img in /mnt/sdcard
Run (flash system.img last, it will lock down your tablet and you won't be able to flash the other .img files):
/data/data/com.interphaze.AcerRecoveryInstaller/files/itsmagic
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/flexrom.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p6
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/boot.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p2
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/recovery.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p1
dd if=/mnt/sdcard/system.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p3

I hope many people who just bought their tablet will come here and post the recovery files asap they got it...
I need to return with 01.139.04

If you use the Acer Recovery Tool from the market, would that do the same thing to take you back to stock?
link

Please, always run itsmagic BEFORE any dd operation.
@Bec07: Please swap the commands in your guide.

Restoring to factory defaults via ADB #2
In Step 7 where are the files located that I'm supposed to be copying? Can't find them?

They're supposed to be in /clockwork mod on your micro-sd car, provided you've don a backup. Or you can download them.
@haakuturi
No, I've tried even if you can download the update, it will fail installing. Tried with pre 3.1 updates.
@sc2k
Thanks, fixed. But don't the checksums change after we flash the partitions?

sanaell said:
I hope many people who just bought their tablet will come here and post the recovery files asap they got it...
I need to return with 01.139.04
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you remember your initial firmware?
Could you check it when close to an iconia stocking shop?

Great tutorial... Thanks

So, a question... If the Restore function in CWM doesn't restore properly, does it backup properly? That is, if I manually restore the files that CWM made when it backed up, will it restore properly or did the backup miss something?

I don't think it backs up properly either. At least not by all checksum standards.
My backup is CWM and I can't restore it with "dd" no matter what. Thor's works but I suspect it's not CWM.
Scrap that! CWM works just fine!

Bec07 said:
I don't think it backs up properly either. At least not by all checksum standards.
My backup is CWM and I can't restore it with "dd" no matter what. Thor's works but I suspect it's not CWM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's bloody annoying... :/
If I'd known that, I'd have manually backed up my stock ROM...

Tell me about it...
I think I flashed 15-20 times in the past 3 days. Haven't managed to make OTA work for 3.0.1 and now they're all down and I can't see 3.1 either...

can i do the "proper" backup from within the tablet with something like connectbot that has sdcard writing permissions without rooting?

Probably with terminal emulator and busybox too

Bec07 said:
Don't you remember your initial firmware?
Could you check it when close to an iconia stocking shop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that was 1.016.01 but I do remember the first update I got was 1.139.04 pushed by OTA
THailand

I'm not aware of any problem with the backup/restore with CWM. I'll try to do some testing to see. The boot, recovery images from CWM should work with the dd command, but the system and data are compacted in a YAFFS2 format and cannot be used with the dd command.
I know the initial version did not run itsmagic automatically, so the checksum of boot would be off after a restore, but that was fixed.

Not sure if this helps but my a500 came with Acer_A500_1.105.01_EMEA_GEN3.
I live in the Netherlands and i have a backup which contains flexrom system and boot.img as well as the update.zip to get it to version Acer_A500_1.141.01_EMEA_GEN3
Download here.

Iconia Build Number
Mine is Acer_A500_1.141.01_EMA_GEN3, I bought the tablet on México.

sanaell said:
I think that was 1.016.01 but I do remember the first update I got was 1.139.04 pushed by OTA
THailand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure, it was 01 because I know mine was 01 and I'm from EU. Wasn't it 02?
spaanplaat said:
Not sure if this helps but my a500 came with Acer_A500_1.105.01_EMEA_GEN3.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you guys look on the back of your box, there should be a sticker "Operated Countries" that should list in what other countries the same firmware version is for.
I suspect EMEA should cover EU, Middle east and Asia, but I've got no idea why there are also separate versions
Thanks!

Wolf's ultimate flash and downgrade guide (NO ROOT NEEDED) (root opportunity for .21)

WARNING
This method will not work on any JB rom available, apparently google has patched the exploit.​
Note that downgrading method for unrooted devices is highly experimental and may turn your device into worthless brick. Read this WHOLE thread carefully before you start doing anything with your Transformer.
MOD EDIT: It is reported that this method doesn't work with the new Jelly Bean firmwares on the TF201 and the TF300T,
Sorry, but I will not be able to support you between 3rd and 15th of May because I have to pass my final exams.
However feel free to post your questions in this topic I am sure that somebody will be able to help you.​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Description​Method 1 - Rooted Devices
This method allows you to flash any update released by ASUS without need for custom recovery.
ROOT is required to unlock mmcblk0p4 write access for dd.
Method 2 - UnRooted Devices
This method allows you to flash any update released by ASUS, no mater for SKU etc.
It uses file linking trick to unlock mmcblk0p4 write access even when su is not present.
Method 3 - UnRooted Devices - Recommended
This method allows you to directly flash the recovery even on unrooted device. This may be used next to root your TF by prepared su package.
It uses file linking trick to unlock mmcblk0p4 write access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disclaimer​
Despite both methods have been confirmed (by myself) to work, the whole process of flashing mmcblk0p4 with dd brings high risk of bricking device by for example file system corruption.
I do not take any responsibility for damaged or bricked devices. Before flashing you have to assume the risk and chances of geting bricked.
Under no circumstances should you brake cmd during blob file is flashed by dd. If that happens do not reboot. PM me and go on IRC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Requirements​
BLOB file (look at links box at the bottom for few)
ADB enabled
Root acces (only method 1)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notes​Sorry for the mistakes, but English is not my native language PM me if you find any so I will be able to correct them.
Before posting a question look into FAQ maybe it have been already answered.
Guide is inspired by Turge who wrote similar article for TFP (link here). However whole 2nd method was invented and described by me.
Thanks go to:
Code:
[CENTER]
AndroidRoot.mobi - for RazorClaw
ViperBoy - for viperMOD rooting tool
jcase - for NachoRoot
sparkym3 - for his ICS rooting methods
Roach2010 - for all his work
sbiriguda - who inspired me to dig around symlinking
[/CENTER]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instructions - Method 1 - Rooted​1. Upload the BLOB file to internal storage of your tab. (mounted as /sdcard)
2. Connect tablet to the computer and start ADB session.
3. When you will be in adb shell execute following comands:
Code:
su
dd if=/sdcard/blob of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4
4. The command prompt will be empty as wnen nothing happen, do not panic wait until the end of the process. DO NOT INTERRUPT (it will take apx.3-10 min)
5. When you see the following message:
Code:
1066806+1 records in
1066806+1 records out
546204969 bytes transferred in 250.309 secs (2182122 bytes/sec)
(the numbers in resulted message may be diffrent but it has to have the same structure)
You can safety reboot the device by exiting shell and executing :
Code:
adb reboot
6. Once rebooted you will see ASUS EeePAD flashing progress bar. Be patient and wait till the end.
7. Tablet will reboot itself and start loading new system. (as it is first boot it may take few minutes)
8. Be happy from your new firmware.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL STEP
In some cases flashing previous firmware leaves data partition intact.
I suggest to clean it by booting with [vol down] and [power] pressed (you will see the info about the rom). Than wait until the screen with android and wipe data appear. Select wipe by switching with [vol down] and accepting with [vol up] pressed two times. It mostly happen when downgrading to HC from ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instructions - Method 2 - UnRooted​1. Upload the BLOB file to internal storage of your tab. (mounted as /sdcard)
2. Connect tablet to the computer and start ADB shell session.
3. When you will be in adb shell execute following commands:
Code:
mv /data/local/tmp /data/local/tmp.bak
ln -s /dev/block/mmcblk0p4 /data/local/tmp
exit
4. Now reboot your tab through:
Code:
adb reboot
5. Once you see ASUS loading screen you should be able to start ADB shell session again (if not just wait), than (in shell) execute:
Code:
dd if=/sdcard/blob of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4
6. The command prompt will be empty as wnen nothing happen, do not panic wait until the end of the process. DO NOT INTERRUPT (it will take apx.3-10 min)
7. When you see the following message:
Code:
1066806+1 records in
1066806+1 records out
546204969 bytes transferred in 250.309 secs (2182122 bytes/sec)
(the numbers in resulted message may be diffrent but it has to have the same structure)
You can safety reboot the device by exiting shell and executing :
Code:
adb reboot
8. Once rebooted you will see ASUS EeePAD flashing progress bar. Be patient and wait till the end.
9. Tablet will reboot itself and start loading new system. (as it is first boot it may take few minutes)
10. Be happy from your new firmware.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL STEP
In some cases flashing previous firmware leaves data partition intact.
I suggest to clean it by booting with [vol down] and [power] pressed (you will see the info about the rom). Than wait until the screen with android and wipe data appear. Select wipe by switching with [vol down] and accepting with [vol up] pressed two times. It mostly happen when downgrading to HC from ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instructions - Method 3 - UnRooted
This will definitely not work with Transformer Prime continue only if you are owner of TF101 of TF101G​
1. Upload the RECOVERYBLOB file to internal storage of your tab. (mounted as /sdcard)
2. Connect tablet to the computer and start ADB shell session.
3. When you will be in adb shell execute following commands:
Code:
mv /data/local/tmp /data/local/tmp.bak
ln -s /dev/block/mmcblk0p4 /data/local/tmp
exit
4. Now reboot your tab through:
Code:
adb reboot
5. Once you see ASUS loading screen you should be able to start ADB shell session again (if not just wait), than (in shell) execute (some times it gets longer, but do not panic it is normal):
Code:
dd if=/sdcard/recoveryblob of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4
6. The command prompt will be empty as when nothing happen, do not panic wait until the end of the process. DO NOT INTERRUPT (it will take apx.3-10 min)
7. When you see the following message:
Code:
8860+1 records in
8860+1 records out
4536396 bytes transferred in 1.718 secs (2640509 bytes/sec)
(the numbers in resulted message may be different but it has to have the same structure)
You can safety reboot the device by exiting shell and executing :
Code:
adb reboot
8. Once rebooted you will see ASUS EeePAD flashing progress bar. Be patient and wait till the end.
9. Tablet will reboot itself and start loading new system. (as it is first boot it may take few minutes)
10. Be happy from your new recovery.
ADDITIONAL - ROOTING
11. Download this SU + Superuser.apk package and place it on internal memory or microsd
12. Boot to recovery. (turn off your TF and than boot with [vol down]+[power] pressed, once you see the letters identifying the system press [vol up]
13. Now you should be in custom recovery. Select 'Install from zip file' and then select the file on desired location internal or external.
14. Once flashing is done go back and select 'Reboot system'
15. Now you got freshly rooted Transformer. ENJOY
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BLOBs​
BLOB file can be extracted from any update file. It is contained inside XX_epad-user-x.x.x.x.zip achive. Where XX (e.g WW or TW) refers to SKU of firmware and x.x.x.x to its version (e.g 9.2.2.3)
Or you can pick up a few here
Now they are ziped to reduce the sizes (MD5 value shows the control sum of each blob not zip) (sorry for hostings but I don't have space on dropbox any more, you may register to increase) (if you know faster mirror PM me)
NEW MIRROR SITE WITH ALMOST ALL FIRMWARES HERE
TF101/G BLOBs (Transformer)
Honeycomb
WW 8.6.6.19 - MD5: D63D60F6C71F5B614B338244D3788735 - or mirrors (1 2)
WW 8.6.6.23 - MD5: 1227F19BC4415661CACB05A483504953 - or mirrors (1 2)
Ice Cream Sandwich
US 9.2.1.11 - MD5: 4F6069430B20C35C8833F50DFA0FE0FD - or mirrors (1 2)
WW 9.2.1.17 - MD5: 5C78C28C31888943AB67CCE4B4448319
US 9.2.1.17 - MD5: 380CA6399374FF5F84154509365A83F7 - or mirrors (1 2)
TW 9.2.1.17 - MD5: CA52E4AD670DFFA29DC1CBA04A0A4164 - or mirrors (1 2)
WW 9.2.2.3 - MD5: 5D5A44069346C4D7D2740E4100520692 - or mirrors (1 2)
TW 9.2.2.3 - MD5: pending
TF201 BLOBs (Transformer Prime)
Honeycomb
WW 8.8.3.33 - MD5: 5136E579FAEDDFE15F6AAE623B6CB67D - (or mirrors 1 2)
Ice Cream Sandwich
WW 9.4.2.11 - MD5: B2668A3387924B19A91F74ABF5DBE4E8 - (mirror)
US 9.4.2.14 - MD5: EF2E635BD6921BFA9D01FC0E4DD0644B - (mirror)
WW 9.4.2.15 - MD5: 55122257B30E9376DF463F3C1A8BA702 - (or mirror 1 )
WW 9.4.2.21 - MD5: 1129DC2643BD0F5DC6C07B9A1B619548 - (or mirror 1 )
RECOVERYBLOBs (only for TF101)
Rburrow's Rogue XM Recovery (mirror) - MD5: 6EE759A84ED02F0D95A029EC245CFDC5 - thread​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope it will help
Results​Confirmed to work on both TF101/G (ASUS Transformer) and TF201 (ASUS Transformer Prime)
However keep in mind that TFP have to be locked in order to use second method otherwise you may brick your device.
It probably can be used with slider as well
I also confirmed that it is possible to root any official OTA (on TF101/G) by flashing recoveryblob containing custom recovery and than update.zip with su and superuser app.
Proven that Method 2 also work with 9.2.1.21 update to downgrade the software and reroot device. - thanks alvin612.
Method 2 may also work on locked Transformer Prime however be careful and read warning and disclaimer in this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click 'Thanks' if I helped you

Let me just say this: you are a freaking genius. I didn't even think of symlinking /dev/block/mmcblk0p4 to /data/local/tmp so it would change ownership and permissions on reboot. This is f*ing brilliant!
Moreover, if you have a blob for CWM you can also use the second method to install it on an unrooted device and then root it using the customary update.zip with su and superuser.apk (yes, even on 9.2.2.3 TF101Gs).
Again, great job!

A big **sigh**, finally a solution for non-root users/ non-NVflash-ables to get back. I am rooted and will always be as long as the expliot is there but this should help many, many non-rooted people that are frustrated with ICS.
Many thanks.

Worth more than just using the thankometer - thanks for this.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA

absolute genius!!!!! Thanks

Just GENIUS
you are genius bro thank u so much for this guide. I'll try it tomorrow bcuz it's late " 1:00 am " and report back later.
Thanks again
Edit: I couldn't wait until tomorrow so i said let's try it but something happened and now my tab is bricked ( Stuck on EEE Pad screen )

hearts king101 said:
you are genius bro thank u so much for this guide. I'll try it tomorrow bcuz it's late " 1:00 am " and report back later.
Thanks again
Edit: I couldn't wait until tomorrow so i said let's try it but something happened and now my tab is bricked ( Stuck on EEE Pad screen )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, easy come on #asus-transformer at webchat.freenode.net will try to manage something.

OMG you saved my transformer!!!
Long story short, my tablet, as of 20mins ago, was in such an awkward status:
- has su and superuser.apk in /system/xbin
- all root checker apps say I'm NOT rooted
- on stock recovery but stock images put on external SD card won't get recognized
- whenever an app requests root, it got automatically denied by SuperUser.
and I saw this post....I'm back on 9.2.17 stock now!!
Thanks a million! ln -s...genius!!

Nice exploit! I knew there was a way!

alvin612 said:
Long story short, my tablet, as of 20mins ago, was in such an awkward status:
- has su and superuser.apk in /system/xbin
- all root checker apps say I'm NOT rooted
- on stock recovery but stock images put on external SD card won't get recognized
- whenever an app requests root, it got automatically denied by SuperUser.
and I saw this post....I'm back on 9.2.17 stock now!!
Thanks a million! ln -s...genius!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you start off with 9.2.1.21? Or just fixing your botched 9.2.1.17?

kevchaps said:
Did you start off with 9.2.1.21? Or just fixing your botched 9.2.1.17?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
9.2.1.21.
I messed up the rooting and recovery after ota from .17 to .21
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app

You are genius wolf
It worked . Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
THANK YOU SO MUCH WOLF​
FYI: I copied 3 files named ( EP101_SDUPDATE, EP101-SDUPDATE, EP101SDUPDATE ) so i don't know which one worked bcuz i tried the 1st name yesterday but didn't work .

alvin612 said:
9.2.1.21.
I messed up the rooting and recovery after ota from .17 to .21
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great that it worked for you.
When I get a new data cable, i think I will be headed back to honeycomb.

Sorry for asking! but Is 'rooted method 1' give any benefit over using CWM to flash stock ROM?

warlord234 said:
Sorry for asking! but Is 'rooted method 1' give any benefit over using CWM to flash stock ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I described it to show the differences between rooted and unrooted methods

Sorry for asking. If I use this method on my tf101 to roll back to HC will it solve reboot and SoD problems?

Im trying method 2 and it wont let me adb shell after reboot.

Rodriger said:
Sorry for asking. If I use this method on my tf101 to roll back to HC will it solve reboot and SoD problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should, that depends whether you had such issues on HC. If you did not than by downgrading you should get rid of them.
steven178s said:
Im trying method 2 and it wont let me adb shell after reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After 1st reboot? Maybe give it a try after full bootup.

wolf849 said:
It should, that depends whether you had such issues on HC. If you did not than by downgrading you should get rid of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should I try it if flashing stock HC by CWM didn't helped solve reboots and SoDs?

Thank you very much, i'm back on 8.6.6.23 from 9.2.2.23. The only thing i had, after the flashing Android want not boot. I made a wipe and everything is ok.
Thank you again.

[BINARY]FlashPak v1.01(A simple binary to flash packages!)[DEV]

Alright, guys, I decided to put a little binary together for you guys. It's called "flashpak", which stands for flash package. The usage is very easy, and I hope developers use this in they're apps.
Works on CWM, TWRP, AMON, and any other recovery ... erm... Let me rephrase that.. it works on all recoveries
Usage:
Code:
flashpak file.zip
^ If the file "file.zip" is in the root of your SDCARD, just type what's above
It will then reboot you into your recovery and begin to flash the package.
Please note:
*Only works on devices that use "reboot recovery".
*Must be ran under su.
*I'm not responsible for anything if any of you mess up... well.. I am, but I won't be available to fix your device right and then.
*Since I used the Android-9 toolchain, I'm assuming that it only for 2.3+... not sure.
*Package must be on your SDCARD!
Changelog:
v1.01 - Fixed errors with confusion of the external storage's.
What to add:
*Able to reboot to recovery on devices that can't do "reboot recovery".
How to install, just extract the "flashpak" binary from the zip provided.. Extract it somewhere and run it
I'll try my best to keep this updated as much as I can. School is gonna start soon, and it's my last year in HS, and I might not update it as often as I will throughout this week :\
Source code: https://github.com/Simran/adbNetScan
Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimranApps
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SimranDevs
Add me on Google+: https://plus.google.com/114069302448745664287

Good one
Can I use this in my tool over at my signature?
Can you compile it with lower toolchain and add support for 2.1+ devices
There are large number of 2.1 and 2.2 devices.
And this sends the extended commandline to recovery right?

varun.chitre15 said:
Good one
Can I use this in my tool over at my signature?
Can you compile it with lower toolchain and add support for 2.1+ devices
There are large number of 2.1 and 2.2 devices.
And this sends the extended commandline to recovery right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure! Just make sure whatever you're going to flash is on the SDcard. If it's in another folder on the sdcard... mm.. say folder "foo" and zip "bar.zip", then simple type in:
Code:
flashpak foo/bar.zip
It doesn't accept a backslash at the beginning, but I'll work on that.

Updated to v1.01. Please give results.. gonna update tomorrow!

Just purchaced a Note 3 verizon, Pls suggest best practices to Root & unlock

Hello good peoples of Xda ,
I just purchased a Note 3 verizon I believe 900v on swappa It will arive in the next few day's and I want to get all my ducks in a row by that I mean aquire all the root and unlocking tools nessary for a best practices root and if nessary unlocking of my boot loader.
Goals for root are mostly to debloat the phone and hotspot mod's for no hassle teathering.
I may dip my toes into custom rom for this phone but mostly I am just looking for a clean lean experiance for my note 3. I have been pouring over the many many pages of the various rooting guids and I am just not sure witch method to use is the safest / most reliable .
thank you for your time and helpful suggestions.
This is what I have found so far.
ArabicToolApp : Root for lolipop
Odin3 v3.12.3 : flash tool is this latest ? best to use ?
Samsung usb drivers v1.5.45.0 : are these the proper drivers to install ?

You should start by figuring out which firmware release it has on it.
If it has PL1 (the newest security release, circa 2017/01/15), there will be no rooting for you... unless you manage to create a new exploit.
OB6 and OF1 - (one of) the yemen tool(s)**
NK1 - no root available ( and can't be rolled backwards w/ Odin, only NK1 or higher )
NJ6 - no root available? ( Try towelroot, or you can downgrade to NC4 using Odin )
MI9/MJ7/MJE/NC2(leak)/NC4 - Towelroot v3
For which bootloader unlock binary to use, see here.
Can't help you out with USB drivers, I don't remember what I used. afaik, they will either work 100% or not work at all, so you just need to get something working.
I've never used anything but Odin 3.0.9. Can't tell you if the version you mention is "better".
good luck
** i've never rooted OB6 or OF1, so can't give you any advice about which to use. Feel free to read the related threads. In my (casual) reading of those threads, it is nearly impossible to intuit out why some people have problems and others do not. Mostly because the reporting is not sufficiently detailed.

bftb0 said:
You should start by figuring out which firmware release it has on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right, after thinking about my post I realized there were 2 many variables that I need to know before I ask for help. So once I recieve the phone and if it's fully functional I will find out what firmware it has and what the cid it has and will post a follow up if I need help.
P.S thank you for the concise jist of what is and is not possible with the various firmware's.

Recieved my phone.
I got my note 3 and boy is it just a wonderful device. SM-900v running OF1 firmware, and My Cid is 15 so is all good.
procedurs completed.
I got root from useing the yemem tool.
and have tryed some debloating removed the NFL apk as a test with Tit.backup.
dissabled ota updates, I made a copy of the update.zip (that was downloaded with out me asking it too. I assume that this update.zip is the new PL4 firmware )and deleted it. renamed the fota.apk's with a .bak
not really sure if I should unlock the the bootloader I would love to have twerp.
Could anyone point me at a good debloating script ?
LOVE LOVE LOVE my note 3.
I also have a zero lemon battery/case combo on the way.

PL1 not PL4
See here. Might be dated - stuff tends to move around from release to release.
You should probably also freeze SDM.* and SysScope.* (in addition to LocalFOTA)**
There is a small permanent downside to unlocking - the blowing of the Knox Warranty Flag means that you will never be able to use Knox Secure containers, even if you did a full stock flash with Odin. Not sure how important this is to folks using the phone as a personal device (as opposed to a corporate device).
Operating with a rooted-stock device with a locked bootloader usually progresses through a customary arc - especially with new rooters, but also with experienced folks - where the user one day does some incremental mod that boot-loops the Android UI. At that point there is no means to reverse the small change. (You can't get in via "adb" as it's daemon isn't started yet, and even if it were, the fact that it is in secure mode means that you would have to have a stable UI in order to confirm the connection.) As there is no rooted secondary boot available (i.e., a custom recovery), there is no way to perform repairs, and a trip back to Odin is in store for the owner. Worse yet, a backup has never been made... so all customizations are all lost and must be re-created completely from scratch.
** this is a good idea if you unlock and install a custom recovery: (although TWRP may detect it and emasculate it automatically)
Code:
su
chmod 0000 /system/bin/install-recovery.sh

bftb0 said:
PL1 not PL4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right PL1 ok.
Well I decided in for a penney in for a pound and have sucessfully unlocked my boot loader, had no issues.
my question now is how do I install twerp I have downloaded
twerp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4
and twerp 3.0.2-1-hlte.img.tar
I think I need to install the tar file.
but I don't know how. I have odin but not sure if that is the right program to use. I think I read where somone installed twerp with flashify or somthing like that.
What should I do ?

Truck'nfool said:
Right PL1 ok.
Well I decided in for a penney in for a pound and have sucessfully unlocked my boot loader, had no issues.
my question now is how do I install twerp I have downloaded
twerp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4
and twerp 3.0.2-1-hlte.img.tar
I think I need to install the tar file.
but I don't know how. I have odin but not sure if that is the right program to use. I think I read where somone installed twerp with flashify or somthing like that.
What should I do ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
man up and use a root prompt command line. It's a single command.
Code:
dd of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p15 if=/sdcard/twrp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4.img bs=2048
( assuming that you put the twrp .img file in the /sdcard folder. If it was in the download folder, then if=/sdcard/Download/twrp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4.img )
Note there are absolutely, positively no spaces anywhere in "mmcblk0p15". Critically important.
The above command writes a raw binary data (the .img file) to the 15th partition of the mmcblk0 device - the flash memory chip. You can do this with boot images (such as custom recoveries) or a few other binary images, but typically not with ext4 or other filesystems.
Note this command could be extremely dangerous if you made a mistake. If you were to write data someplace else it could be a permanent disaster. So cut-n-paste to be safest (without a new-line), and then double- and triple- check the command for typos before you hit the enter key.
FYI, you can see what the partition mapping is by doing a folder listing
Code:
ls -ld /dev/block/platform/*1/by-name/*
The partitioning scheme varies from android device to android device; but on the SM-N900V the recovery partition is the 15th partition. (On other devices it might be something different).

bftb0 said:
man up and use a root prompt command line. It's a single command.
dd of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p15 if=/sdcard/twrp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4.img bs=2048
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you talking about adb ?
So somthing like
adb shell
su
dd of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p15 if=/sdcard/twrp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4.img bs=2048
???

Truck'nfool said:
are you talking about adb ?
So somthing like
adb shell
su
dd of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p15 if=/sdcard/twrp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4.img bs=2048
???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That works.
Or a terminal emulator.
All you need is to put the file on your (internal, pseudo-) /sdcard, "su", and "dd".
For extra credit, make sure to compute a file checksum (e.g. "md5sum") every time you copy the original .img file to a new location and especially prior to flashing. That safeguards against a bad copy operation, crappy flash memory, etc.
Stock ROMs might not have a "md5sum" binary in /system/bin, but since you are rooted you could install a private busybox in someplace like /data/local/bin. I prefer to use a busybox which is SELinux-cognizant, e.g. v1.23.1 here as busybox_full_selinux_1.23.1.zip Note that I don't "install" this .zip so that stuff in /system/bin or /system/xbin get overwritten, but instead just keep it in a private area all on it's own.
Steps.
0) extract the "busybox" binary from the .zip file and get a copy to your SD card. Then
Code:
su
mkdir -p /data/local/bin
chmod 755 /data/local/bin
cp /sdcard/busybox /data/local/bin/
chmod 755 /data/local/bin/busybox
cd /data/local/bin
./busybox --install -s /data/local/bin
This allows it to be used as needed in a terminal/console shell.
e.g. using ls
1) Explicitly: /data/local/bin/ls -lZ *
2) Implicitly "as a last resort":
export PATH="${PATH}"':/data/local/bin'
ls -lZ *
3) Implicitly "as preferred":
export PATH='/data/local/bin:'"${PATH}"
ls -lZ *

I am now have root, unlocked bootloader and twrp Whoot!!
Well I now have twrp installed thank you vary much for all your help and direction I sincerly appreciate your assistance.
I installed termux and after updating the packages sucessfully used dd to install twrp.
1st thing I am going to do a full system backup.

No developer love for N900V not good