Database Users

All-In-One Auto-Root Script

I made this for all the people that seem to be having issues with rooting their phone, installing the recovery partition, and installing the new rom.
This is an all-in-one package. It's about 200MB. Includes the original root rom, recovery image, the new rom (2.1OTA rom that was just released today), as well as a few extras. It's a batch script to automate the entire process.
Here's the README file:
Code:
These are automated scripts to root your Eris phone with Android 1.5 (NOT 2.1 LEAK!!!!!)
YOU NEED THE ANDROID SDK IN ORDER FOR THIS TO WORK!
If you don't have the SDK working, visit guide on the forums for instructions.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Unzip this file to your \tools\ directory of your Android SDK. Then run one of the following files:
install_root.bat
------------------------
This script will do the following:
1) Install the root image onto your phone
2) Install the recovery partition onto your phone
3) Install the current rom using the recovery partition
install_extras.bat
------------------------
This script will do the following:
1) Install live wallpapers
2) Install the Nexus Launcher
3) Install the Nexus photo gallery
4) Remove HTC Lockscreen
5) Install wireless tethering
NOTE!
------------------------
1) NOT ALL LIVE WALLPAPERS YOU FIND IN THE MARKET WILL WORK!
2) You cannot use the Nexus photo gallery when in the Nexus Launcher, it will crash
These scripts were put together by GrdLock.
Credit for all of the included files goes to ivan, amon, jcase, and everyone else
who chipped in!
Install this by unzipping it into your \tools\ directory of your Android SDK, then run install_root.bat.
I'm not running Windows so I didn't test this, but I proof read it like 10 times, and I'm 99.99% sure it should work 100%. If anyone gets any errors using it, post and I'll fix them immediately. Make sure USB debugging is turned on before running it.
You can download the whole package here: http://www.multiupload.com/Y7UC8UU2JE
-------------------------------------------------------------------
If you just want the 2.1OTA rooted rom, you can download that here: http://www.multiupload.com/YP1BIUOF60 (this rom includes busybox, the otacert fix, and a few other minor things)
I also put together an update. This will update you to the new 2.1 OTA leak "official" without wiping. Wipe your dalvik and that's it. Do a nand backup first though just incase! http://www.multiupload.com/3OPZCD6NRA

GrdLock said:
I made this for all the people that seem to be having issues with rooting their phone, installing the recovery partition, and installing the new rom.
This is an all-in-one package. It's about 200MB. Includes the original root rom, recovery image, the new rom (2.1OTA rom that was just released today), as well as a few extras. It's a batch script to automate the entire process.
Here's the README file:
Code:
These are automated scripts to root your Eris phone with Android 1.5 (NOT 2.1 LEAK!!!!!)
YOU NEED THE ANDROID SDK IN ORDER FOR THIS TO WORK!
If you don't have the SDK working, visit guide on the forums for instructions.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Unzip this file to your \tools\ directory of your Android SDK. Then run one of the following files:
install_root.bat
------------------------
This script will do the following:
1) Install the root image onto your phone
2) Install the recovery partition onto your phone
3) Install the current rom using the recovery partition
install_extras.bat
------------------------
This script will do the following:
1) Install live wallpapers
2) Install the Nexus Launcher
3) Install the Nexus photo gallery
4) Remove HTC Lockscreen
5) Install wireless tethering
NOTE!
------------------------
1) NOT ALL LIVE WALLPAPERS YOU FIND IN THE MARKET WILL WORK!
2) You cannot use the Nexus photo gallery when in the Nexus Launcher, it will crash
These scripts were put together by GrdLock.
Credit for all of the included files goes to ivan, amon, jcase, and everyone else
who chipped in!
Install this by unzipping it into your \tools\ directory of your Android SDK, then run install_root.bat.
I'm not running Windows so I didn't test this, but I proof read it like 10 times, and I'm 99.99% sure it should work 100%. If anyone gets any errors using it, post and I'll fix them immediately. Make sure USB debugging is turned on before running it.
You can download the whole package here: http://www.multiupload.com/09DM1FI1D1
md5: 535c300411cd47acd319e667fee8cf16
-------------------------------------------------------------------
If you just want the 2.1OTA rooted rom, you can download that here: http://www.multiupload.com/5HH0H1M4T1 (this rom includes busybox, the otacert fix, and a few other minor things)
md5: 6d95e5e8846c6912fda42c54daa0cb34
I also made a kernel-only update that can be flashed without wiping anything: http://www.sendspace.com/file/5ptpmc
md5: cc4e95034dc7e8adaa776483251952bf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks....I will be using this on the wifes (soon to be mine) phone tonite as with the new OTA update I now feel my phone is stable enough for her not to freak out over
appreciate your work....
does the script disable OTA's ?

rvpartsguy said:
Thanks....I will be using this on the wifes (soon to be mine) phone tonite as with the new OTA update I now feel my phone is stable enough for her not to freak out over
appreciate your work....
does the script disable OTA's ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I built the otacert fix into the rom.

Thanks for all your work grid, and all the others that have worked on this. Just got a new refurb the other day and was going to tackle rooting this weekend, gonna make the task so much easier.

Can you please explain what was fixed? Thanks again for your work.

The current rom is a rooted rom using the new 2.1 leak that was just released today, which is SUPPOSEDLY the "official" 2.1 update from Verizon.

What setting should be used for the phone, HTC Sync, USB, Mount SD, or nothing?

Nothing. Just connect it to your USB, and enable USB debugging. Don't mount your sdcard.

Does the market work now?
(I recall hearing that the market wouldn't work because of the test/dev certificate that was in the leaked rom)

The market will work if it doesnt work now, itll work when the OTA comes out.

Grd, this looks fantastic. I've been patient so far, and haven't upgraded to the leaked or original rooted 2.1 builds, but with the news of the latest one (and initial reports saying that it's mostly bug-free), I'm ready to take the plunge. This should be a huge help to me.
A couple of questions:
Does the big package (the 200MB one) include jcase's ROM (bare-bones basic), or yours with the tweaks? I ask because you mentioned removing pdfviewer, which I use.
Also, has anyone else gone through this process yet? Call me timid, but I'm not too keen on being the first one.

K0CAW said:
Grd, this looks fantastic. I've been patient so far, and haven't upgraded to the leaked or original rooted 2.1 builds, but with the news of the latest one (and initial reports saying that it's mostly bug-free), I'm ready to take the plunge. This should be a huge help to me.
A couple of questions:
Does the big package (the 200MB one) include jcase's ROM (bare-bones basic), or yours with the tweaks? I ask because you mentioned removing pdfviewer, which I use.
Also, has anyone else gone through this process yet? Call me timid, but I'm not too keen on being the first one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It includes my rom. You should be able to restore pdfviewer if you need it though. I can post the files in a bit.

Great. I was pretty sure that the apps could be reinstalled if needed, but wanted to confirm. I'm downloading the package now, so I'll keep you updated. I'm pretty excited about this, since I'm still at stock 1.5.

Issues, Well first It copied the PB image fine, it didnt reboot the phone i had to manually do it with vol -, now im on step two installing amons image, it transfers but it cant start files\flash_image, no such file or directory and then it cant chmod it cause its not there.

Could you copy/paste the command prompt text you're seeing? (you gotta right-click the cmd window and select Mark)

Installing Amon's Recovery Image.
1545 KB/s (3926016 bytes in 2.480s)
cannot stat 'files\flash_image': No such file or directory
Unable to chmod /system/bin/flash_image: No such file or directory
flash_image: not found
-
Finished
Your phone will now reboot and test the recovery partition.
Press any key to continue . . .

Ahh, crap...
http://www.sendspace.com/file/obtx2w
Download that file, put it in the \tools\files\ directory, then try again and let me know.
I think I got delete-happy removing some temp files and deleted flash_image by accident.

Worked great
I just went through the install.bat file and everything worked 100% just as promised. I have not installed any of the extras yet. Thanks for the great work!

flash_image was it worked a treat its in amon_ra now was trying manually and came across it missing, went to post it and you had just now

One suggestion before letting adb copy the 2.1 rooted img to the phone have it delete the PB so users dont accidently click on it. Just a lil cleanup to help things out. So far its flashing 2.1 rooted I will let you know about the first error, ill go back through it again and get it to recreate.

Step by Step for Rooting Rogers Captivate (I896)

Hey Guys
So one of the biggest questions I have seen in the last couple weeks since the Rogers captivate was released is how to root. I figured I would write a nice tutorial for everyone to make it easier!
Method 1: SuperOneClick
This is the easiest way, however most people have not been able to achieve root using this. Try this first if no luck move to method 2. Instructions on how to root using SuperOneClick can be found here
Method 2: Manual Root using ADB and Terminal
This one takes more time and not as easy to do as you have to do everything manually. But haven't heard of any problems with it yet
Step 1: Install <PDANet> Drivers. Just download the file and install. Select Samsung drivers. No need to actually install PDAnet on the Captivate you just need the drivers from the install. Follow the instructions with the installer to properly install the drivers.
Step 2: Download <Andriod SDK>.
- Extract the Android SDK .Zip file to C:\AndroidSDK (this should name the new folder created AndroidSDK in the C directory.
- Go to your start menu and search cmd or click run and type in cmd to open command prompt
- Type the following into command prompt, hitting enter at the end of each line
cd C:\AndroidSKD\Tools
adb devices
- You should see a serial number pop up. This is the serial number of your phone. This means ADB is set up
Step 3: Download <RageagainsttheCage Rooting Files>
- Extract them to the c:\AndroidSDK\tools\ folder. HAS TO BE IN THIS FOLDER FOR THE FOLLOWING COMMANDS TO WORK
Step 4: Unplug phone if it is plugged in. Then, on the phone, go to Settings > Applications > Development and make sure USB Debugging is Checked ON.
Step 5: Plug phone back in to computer. Make sure SD are not mounted
Step 6: Reopen Command prompt if not open. In the command prompt enter the following, pressing enter at the end of each line
cd c:\androidsdk\tools\
adb devices
adb push Superuser.apk /sdcard/
adb push su /sdcard/
adb push rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin /data/local/tmp/
adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/tmp/rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
Step 7: On the phone, go to Marketplace and download Terminal Emulator
Step 8: Leaving the phone plugged in, open the Terminal Emulator on the phone. Type the following, pressing enter at the end of each line
cd /data/local/tmp
./rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
Step 9: WAIT. It will take a full minutes for the rage root to install. When finished you will see "Forked Childs". DO NOT DO ANYTHING TILL YOU SEE THIS. Terminal will allow you to type as it goes back to $ while it is installing BUUT DO NOT DO ANYTHING JUST WAIT(Cannot stress this enough)
Step 10: once "Forked Childs" appears, exit the Terminal App, and then reopen it. Instead of $ you should now see #. If not redo Step 7. Otherwise continue.
Step 11: Type the following hitting enter at the end
cat /proc/mounts
This should bring up a list (Easiest to view in landscape mode. Look for the following
/dev/block/XXXXXXXXXX /system YYYY ro 0 0 (the XXXXXXXXX part should be different depending on which device you have. The YYYY part will either be; ext2, ext3 or yaffs2 or something similar. )
My YYYY was rtf , not sure if it will be the same for everyone (though i assume it is)
Step 12: Now in the terminal window, using the info from above, enter the following, hitting enter at the end of each line (Be sure to enter spaces where needed as below)
mount -o rw,remount -t YYYY /dev/block/XXXXXXXXXX /system
cat /sdcard/Superuser.apk > /system/app/Superuser.apk
cat /sdcard/su > /system/bin/su
chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
mount -o ro,remount -t YYYY /dev/block/XXXXXXXXXX /system
exit
Step 13: Close terminal window if still open. Check your app drawer and, assuming everything was completed properly, you should see Superuser. If not redo Step 12, again watching for spaces and using the correct info from Step 11.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I, in no way shape or form, came up with the above method or tools. This method was modified from and composed from the method decribed over at Theunlockr.com for ease of use and to root the Captivate specifically. I big thanks go out to those guys!
ORINGAL LINK CAN BE FOUND HERE
WARNING
I am not responsible for any damage doone to the phone or its file system as a result of this tutorial. It is for educational purposes only. You have been warned!

THANK YOU!
No other method was working for me (not SuperOneClick, not these ADB instructions). Sure enough, using Terminal Emulator, I was able to get #. I wasn't able get this through adb, nor was I through SuperOneClick (infinite loop @ "mount" command).
I noticed a few things:
-When I compared filesizes from your provided Rage Root files, to the ones that were included in this thread (which also come with SuperOneClick—and which I was unable to get working), I noticed major differences. This gave me hope!, as I'd tried everything else that I knew how to prior to this point.
-My "XXXXXXXXXX" was actually only 4 characters: "stl6".
-My "YYYY" was only 3 characters ("rfs").
-SuperUser showed up on my applist without even requiring a reboot.
THANKS AGAIN
I shall now attempt to apply a lagfix; I will report back with results.
--Bah: no luck. RyanZA's OCLF V2.2+ returns error:
Could not mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 onto /dbdata/rfsdata: mount: No such file or directory
--OCLF V1+ returns error:
Could not create /data/linux.ex2 - dd: can't open '/data/linux.ex2': Permission denied
Uh-oh.

PhrProfess said:
THANK YOU!
No other method was working for me (not SuperOneClick, not ). Sure enough, using Terminal Emulator, I was able to get #. I wasn't able get this through adb, nor was I through SuperOneClick (infinite loop @ "mount" command).
I noticed a few things:
-When I compared filesizes from your provided Rage Root files, to the ones that were included in this thread[/url] (which also come with SuperOneClick—and which I was unable to get working), I noticed major differences. This gave me hope!, as I'd tried everything else that I knew how to prior to this point.
-My "XXXXXXXXXX" was actually only 4 characters: "stl6".
-My "YYYY" was only 3 characters ("rfs").
-SuperUser showed up on my applist without even requiring a reboot.
THANKS AGAIN
I shall now attempt to apply a lagfix; I will report back with results.
--Bah: no luck. RyanZA's OCLF V2.2+ returns error:
Could not mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 onto /dbdata/rfsdata: mount: No such file or directory
--OCLF V1+ returns error:
Could not create /data/linux.ex2 - dd: can't open '/data/linux.ex2': Permission denied
Uh-oh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup same problem here. I was able to root it manually a few days ago, but have as of yet been unable to lag fix it.

Strange. After I rooted I had no problem using RyanZa's Lagfix. Your still using the stock rom after rooted correct?

deacfire said:
Strange. After I rooted I had no problem using RyanZa's Lagfix. Your still using the stock rom after rooted correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. I've tested out quite a few apps from the market, though.
When I mount my device, I notice that there are some files on my internal SDCard:
-su
-Superuser.apk
-nv_data.bin
-busybox (why is this there, I uninstalled that)
-update.zip
...and some folders:
-layar
-twc-cache
-Android -» data -» com.cooliris.media
-Android -» data -» com.google.android.apps.maps
-svox
...These all have subdirectories.
Not knowing what a default internal SD directory ought to look like, I wonder: Could any of these be causing a conflict? I read that some said not to have any apps installed on the SDCard while trying to mess around (with ROMs, I think), so I tried removing what I could, and then rebooting (and some folders respawned), and reapplying the fix—no dice. I've since replaced all of the folders and the files.

Stock rom here as well.

Hrmm not quite sure why lag fix isn't working for you guys. Just a quick question, in RyanZa One Click, is "Un-Root Device" green?
I still have no problems applying RyanZa Lag Fix to my Captivate as I had to redo it last night after i switched back to the Rogers stock rom after testing Cog 2.2. My guess, and it is just a guess, is that the root never applied properly. Have you tried rerooting the device?

deacfire said:
Hrmm not quite sure why lag fix isn't working for you guys. Just a quick question, in RyanZa One Click, is "Un-Root Device" green?
I still have no problems applying RyanZa Lag Fix to my Captivate as I had to redo it last night after i switched back to the Rogers stock rom after testing Cog 2.2. My guess, and it is just a guess, is that the root never applied properly. Have you tried rerooting the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought I might give you some info as well since i've been messing with mine for about a week now. I was able to root the device, oneclick did not work originally for this and I used ADB method similar to what you had here. After this I went for the lag fix, everything was green like it was supposed to be, installed the ext2 tools no problem and then get the same error about unable to mount when applying lag fix.
At this point I used OCLF to unroot the device and it did, I then used the oneclick to re-root which it did this time, in terminal I can su properly and again all the tools are green in OCLF. Tried to lagfix and failed again so I started making some changes manually based on the error messages that were out put. Created the folder it was trying to mount to for instance and then set the permission to this to 777 that would allow world write access, this allowed it to create the new partition in ext2 but when mounting the loopback device it fails saying it doesn't exist (which it doesn't I looked) so while I did get a bit further the lag fix still fails. I would gladly apply the lag fix manually through the terminal if I knew everything that was being done to re-format the partitions for ext3 but I can't seem to find that info anywhere.
Next best thing I would guess is to install a stock rom from rogers from someone else and see if there are any differences, I'm guessing based on the devices in the /dev folder that there are more then one image on the devices some set up more similar to AT&T that the lag fix will work on.

mrprefect said:
Thought I might give you some info as well since i've been messing with mine for about a week now. I was able to root the device, oneclick did not work originally for this and I used ADB method similar to what you had here. After this I went for the lag fix, everything was green like it was supposed to be, installed the ext2 tools no problem and then get the same error about unable to mount when applying lag fix.
At this point I used OCLF to unroot the device and it did, I then used the oneclick to re-root which it did this time, in terminal I can su properly and again all the tools are green in OCLF. Tried to lagfix and failed again so I started making some changes manually based on the error messages that were out put. Created the folder it was trying to mount to for instance and then set the permission to this to 777 that would allow world write access, this allowed it to create the new partition in ext2 but when mounting the loopback device it fails saying it doesn't exist (which it doesn't I looked) so while I did get a bit further the lag fix still fails. I would gladly apply the lag fix manually through the terminal if I knew everything that was being done to re-format the partitions for ext3 but I can't seem to find that info anywhere.
Next best thing I would guess is to install a stock rom from rogers from someone else and see if there are any differences, I'm guessing based on the devices in the /dev folder that there are more then one image on the devices some set up more similar to AT&T that the lag fix will work on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the stock rom in the main Rogers Captivate forum. It is one i used to go from Cog 2.2 back to stock and it applied the root and lag fix without a hitch. Give it a try and let us know!

deacfire said:
Try the stock rom in the main Rogers Captivate forum. It is one i used to go from Cog 2.2 back to stock and it applied the root and lag fix without a hitch. Give it a try and let us know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Happen to have a link right to the forum? so many threads to search through...
I'm new to the whole android thing though I've been working with linux for years but its a bit of a learning curve coming from a blackberry.
also what are you using to flash your device?

I'm having the same problem. Let me know if you somehow fix it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App

I was finally able to get my last night.
Turns out my first root attempt was a failure. I had to unroot via an update.zip method as i did not have the permissions to remove the files from terminal.
Once unrooted i then did the update.zip method for the I897, and modified the script to look for I896 instead. It worked flawlessley. I am now getting the pop-up asking for root permissions. I had never seen it work previously.
I was then able to install OCLF without any problems. (and it popped up asking for root)
I am now rooted and lag fixed. Previous quadrant score was at 860's and i pulled a 2285 last night after the OCLF.

Can you please tell us how to modify script and how to flash back to stock..I need to return my phone and superuse app wont go away after unrooting and factory reset

inningsdefeat500 said:
Can you please tell us how to modify script and how to flash back to stock..I need to return my phone and superuser app wont go away after unrooting and factory reset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i cannot help you flash back to stock as i don't quite know how to do that yet myself. But i can help you unroot, re-root, and lag fix.
I have found the files again and uploaded them to rapid share with the necessary modifications.
Download THIS FILE and once downloaded, rename it to update.zip Be careful not to name it update.zip.zip by accident.
Place the file into the root of your sdcard.
Shutdown the phone with the power button, or pull the battery out and put it back in.
Enter recovery mode:
While holding the volume up and volume down buttons press and hold the power button until you see the white text that says SGH-I896, then release the power button only.
When in recovery mode use the volume down key to highlight reinstall packages, then press the power button. It should say completed and reboot the phone.
Once the phone has rebooted, do the exact same thing again, only use THIS FILE instead. Dont forget to rename the file again!
Then install the OCLF from market. Install the EXT2 tools first. Then run the lag fix installer.
I assume you already know how to enter recovery mode, but this way someone else searching for a fix will have all the info at their disposal here.
EDIT!!!
Some mirrors for the files
For the UN-Root files go HERE
For the ROOT files go HERE

Hi all i am very lost here....i have tried for hours the last few days on how to root this i896 with the super one click method with no luck....anyways i was speaking to my brother earlier and he has done it with his bell vibrant no problem....anyways what i want to know is what is the purpose of rootindg the phone? I thought it was for downloading 3rd party apps or whats the purpose for superuser? The reason why i am asking is that i can download 3rd party apps already...i allow them on my application settings and download a app downloader and works fine? Im lost someone please help.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App

dandroid123 said:
Hi all i am very lost here....i have tried for hours the last few days on how to root this i896 with the super one click method with no luck....anyways i was speaking to my brother earlier and he has done it with his bell vibrant no problem....anyways what i want to know is what is the purpose of rootindg the phone? I thought it was for downloading 3rd party apps or whats the purpose for superuser? The reason why i am asking is that i can download 3rd party apps already...i allow them on my application settings and download a app downloader and works fine? Im lost someone please help.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look here. It answered alot of my questions.
http://www.androidcentral.com/rooting-it-me-some-qa
Also, if you only follow the second half of my post above you should be able to root it as well.

Thanks deacfire! The one click wouldn't work for me but the second method did.
I am having a really annoying problem though. The superuser.apk that you included just gave me a black screen. So I updated it to this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=682828&highlight=no+apps+in+list
Which is newer. But now it just says "no apps in list". Tried installing it from the zip, tried from the market no different.
I do have apps that require superuser: ROM Manager, Root Explorer, Adfree. They all work, also have titanium backup but its is telling me it needs root access.
How can I fix this, it is a major issue.
EDIT:Thanks impulser91!! That work and was SUPER easy! Should probably get posted in the original post.

when i copy update.zip into the /sdcard and then try hitting reinstall packages, it results in an error and aborts. any suggestions?
Nevermind....it worked MUAHAHAHAHAHAH LET THE FUN BEGIN!

Sweet, 2 users. Not bad for under 10 posts
I'm glad its working for others. I had one heck of a time finding the right combination of files and process's for the I896. I am an IT professional and it took me a few days of fumbling around all the I896 and I897 posts.
Anyways, glad to hear it worked, and i hope other people find it useful as well. I will keep the originals, so if the links go down someone just PM me and i will load them somewhere else.

impulser91 said:
Well i cannot help you flash back to stock as i don't quite know how to do that yet myself. But i can help you unroot, re-root, and lag fix.
I have found the files again and uploaded them to rapid share with the necessary modifications.
Download and once downloaded, rename it to update.zip Be careful not to name it update.zip.zip by accident.
Place the file into the root of your sdcard.
Shutdown the phone with the power button, or pull the battery out and put it back in.
Enter recovery mode:
While holding the volume up and volume down buttons press and hold the power button until you see the white text that says SGH-I896, then release the power button only.
When in recovery mode use the volume down key to highlight reinstall packages, then press the power button. It should say completed and reboot the phone.
Once the phone has rebooted, do the exact same thing again, only use THIS FILE instead. Dont forget to rename the file again!
Then install the OCLF from market. Install the EXT2 tools first. Then run the lag fix installer.
I assume you already know how to enter recovery mode, but this way someone else searching for a fix will have all the info at their disposal here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could just about kiss you.... but I won't
Thanks for the update files they worked like a charm. I had a similar issue where the device didn't seem to be properly rooted, though it didn't give me any issues with most things when applying the lagfix it would die.
applied both your unroot and then root and it worked flawlessly the first time, lagfix then ran with no issues and my quadrant scores are 2250 now.
Not sure what you did exactly, I've tried rooting from update.zip from oneclick and neither worked I ended up rooting with the ADB and though it seemed to work it apparently did not.
Thanks again

[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!

Asus programs on modded tablet, and some CM9 questions

Hi All,
I set out to flash my tablet back to stock with the goal of copying some of the awesome asus-specific widgets and applications and installing them back on my tablet after I re-rooted/modded it. I accomplished part of this goal by finding some of the .apk's I wanted, like the Asus weather & battery widgets, the Supernote.apk, anda few others (I still wasn't able to find the Swype Keyboard.apk file)
Anywho, I tried to install the .apk's on my tablet after re-installing cm9 and rooting it but it just says "Application not installed". Anyone have any ideas? And can anyone elaborate on how to copy that swype keyboard APK that I desperately want? I found the other .apk's in the /system/app folder but swype wasn't there.
My other questions relate to CM9:
1) is there any way to decrease the boot time for CM9, or at least customize the boot screen?
2) I'm currently running an older version of cm9 (rc0 unofficial) and I have the stable rc1 of cm9 but when i tried to flash it, it didn't work (i can get the exact error message if needed). Did I do something wrong in updating or is RC1 not compatible with the device? Should I just wait till CM10 comes out?
3) When I initially rooted/flashed cm9, I was able to connect my tablet to my computer and the root of the / directory, but after flashing stock and trying again, I don't have the same luck. Is there some step I missed?
I appreciate any responses, thanks.
- Opethfan89

3 days, 300 views, no responses. BUMP anyone?

opethfan89 said:
Hi All,
I set out to flash my tablet back to stock with the goal of copying some of the awesome asus-specific widgets and applications and installing them back on my tablet after I re-rooted/modded it. I accomplished part of this goal by finding some of the .apk's I wanted, like the Asus weather & battery widgets, the Supernote.apk, anda few others (I still wasn't able to find the Swype Keyboard.apk file)
Anywho, I tried to install the .apk's on my tablet after re-installing cm9 and rooting it but it just says "Application not installed". Anyone have any ideas? And can anyone elaborate on how to copy that swype keyboard APK that I desperately want? I found the other .apk's in the /system/app folder but swype wasn't there.
My other questions relate to CM9:
1) is there any way to decrease the boot time for CM9, or at least customize the boot screen?
2) I'm currently running an older version of cm9 (rc0 unofficial) and I have the stable rc1 of cm9 but when i tried to flash it, it didn't work (i can get the exact error message if needed). Did I do something wrong in updating or is RC1 not compatible with the device? Should I just wait till CM10 comes out?
3) When I initially rooted/flashed cm9, I was able to connect my tablet to my computer and the root of the / directory, but after flashing stock and trying again, I don't have the same luck. Is there some step I missed?
I appreciate any responses, thanks.
- Opethfan89
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried this, but it may work. If you have ADB on your computer, try doing an adb push [name of file].apk /system/app/
If you can't do that, try copy/pasting them there using a root explorer on your device itself. Make sure the permissions are set properly (I don't remember what they are off the top of my head).
After doing that, reboot. See if it works.
As for your CM Questions:
1) I'm not sure if you can reduce the time. For customizing the animation, look at something like Rom Toolbox Pro (which also includes a root explorer like I mentioned above).
2) All CM9 TF300T downloads are located here: http://get.cm/?device=tf300t RC1 is listed there so I'm assuming you did something wrong (what's the error you get?)
3) Did you re-root? I'm not sure I understand.

Link9228 said:
I haven't tried this, but it may work. If you have ADB on your computer, try doing an adb push [name of file].apk /system/app/
If you can't do that, try copy/pasting them there using a root explorer on your device itself. Make sure the permissions are set properly (I don't remember what they are off the top of my head).
After doing that, reboot. See if it works.
As for your CM Questions:
1) I'm not sure if you can reduce the time. For customizing the animation, look at something like Rom Toolbox Pro (which also includes a root explorer like I mentioned above).
2) All CM9 TF300T downloads are located here: http://get.cm/?device=tf300t RC1 is listed there so I'm assuming you did something wrong (what's the error you get?)
3) Did you re-root? I'm not sure I understand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologize for the vagueness of my original post. I made this thread in anticipation of flashing everything back to stock, trying to copy over those Asus-specific .apk's (which I managed to do), and then re-rooting/re-flashing CM9.
I flashed the .30 firmware to get back to stock and found the Asus widgets & apk's I was looking for in the /system/app directory. After some bootloops and other fun, I was able to flash back to CM9 and when I tried to install the .apk's I immediately get the message "The Application was not installed"
Of the asus items I wanted, Supernote and Polaris Office were my top two picks, and I was able to acquire Supernote through 3-rd party means and install it. So I'm stoked to have Supernote on a CM9-flashed tablet. I wasn't able to find Polaris Office so I hope to at least be able to find a work-around to install that.
In response to #3 - yes I re-rooted my tablet (lost root with the .30 firmware) and previously I was able to browse the root directory of my tablet while it was connected to my computer. Now, I can only browse the SD card. I still haven't figured out a solution to this, but I just transfer files to my memory card and then to my tablet from there. I'm looking into how to do OTA file transfers via bluetooth or wi-fi, if at all possible.

opethfan89 said:
I apologize for the vagueness of my original post. I made this thread in anticipation of flashing everything back to stock, trying to copy over those Asus-specific .apk's (which I managed to do), and then re-rooting/re-flashing CM9.
I flashed the .30 firmware to get back to stock and found the Asus widgets & apk's I was looking for in the /system/app directory. After some bootloops and other fun, I was able to flash back to CM9 and when I tried to install the .apk's I immediately get the message "The Application was not installed"
Of the asus items I wanted, Supernote and Polaris Office were my top two picks, and I was able to acquire Supernote through 3-rd party means and install it. So I'm stoked to have Supernote on a CM9-flashed tablet. I wasn't able to find Polaris Office so I hope to at least be able to find a work-around to install that.
In response to #3 - yes I re-rooted my tablet (lost root with the .30 firmware) and previously I was able to browse the root directory of my tablet while it was connected to my computer. Now, I can only browse the SD card. I still haven't figured out a solution to this, but I just transfer files to my memory card and then to my tablet from there. I'm looking into how to do OTA file transfers via bluetooth or wi-fi, if at all possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So did you try what I suggested in my post (pushing the files to /system/app on your tablet, rather than trying to install them through File Browser or whatever)?
I'm not sure if they rely on any custom Asus framework stuffs, like with many other OEMs. I personally doubt it because Asus barely changes anything. I think it *should* work, but can't guarantee it.
The easiest way to get the files to /system/app (if you're not very ADB or tech. savvy) is to download a root explorer (like Rom Toolbox Pro has, for example) and copy all the .apks that you want from your sdcard to /system/app.

Link9228 said:
So did you try what I suggested in my post (pushing the files to /system/app on your tablet, rather than trying to install them through File Browser or whatever)?
I'm not sure if they rely on any custom Asus framework stuffs, like with many other OEMs. I personally doubt it because Asus barely changes anything. I think it *should* work, but can't guarantee it.
The easiest way to get the files to /system/app (if you're not very ADB or tech. savvy) is to download a root explorer (like Rom Toolbox Pro has, for example) and copy all the .apks that you want from your sdcard to /system/app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried pushing the files via ADB yet. I just wiped out my computer so I need to re-install the drivers to get the tablet recognized and/or the the Android SDK.
In the 3rd point of your point, do you mean my external SD card or the internal memory?

the Transformer Pad has a good portion of internal memory partitioned as an sdcard and mounts it at /sdcard/. I haven't used an external SD card with my tablet yet. Either one should work.
I also found out that Polaris Office has some library files that you probably should grab as well. You can find them at:
/system/lib/libpolarisoffice_tablet.so
/system/lib/libpolarisofficedump.so
/system/lib/libtfapps-polaris.so
/system/lib/libtflua-polaris.so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There might be some library files for the other apps. You might want to look around in the /system/lib folder for other libraries as well.

Link9228 said:
the Transformer Pad has a good portion of internal memory partitioned as an sdcard and mounts it at /sdcard/. I haven't used an external SD card with my tablet yet. Either one should work.
I also found out that Polaris Office has some library files that you probably should grab as well. You can find them at:
There might be some library files for the other apps. You might want to look around in the /system/lib folder for other libraries as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's awesome, thanks. If I'm able to get this working I will post a guide for others to follow. I ended up just signing up for the swype beta (which I think is stupid since I paid for that app when I bought my tablet, shouldn't have to get a reduced version)
I was able to find a working supernote.apk app on a 3rd-party website and it installed and worked perfectly.
My other issue I'm having is I try to push the files with ADB and it tells me my tablet is read-only? it gives that same message no matter which directory I try to push to. I have the superuser app and have root, but superusers' log shows the 'adb shell' is consistently being denied root permission (if i try to do su or something similar). Any thoughts?

opethfan89 said:
That's awesome, thanks. If I'm able to get this working I will post a guide for others to follow. I ended up just signing up for the swype beta (which I think is stupid since I paid for that app when I bought my tablet, shouldn't have to get a reduced version)
I was able to find a working supernote.apk app on a 3rd-party website and it installed and worked perfectly.
My other issue I'm having is I try to push the files with ADB and it tells me my tablet is read-only? it gives that same message no matter which directory I try to push to. I have the superuser app and have root, but superusers' log shows the 'adb shell' is consistently being denied root permission (if i try to do su or something similar). Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to remount your system as read-write. Trying doing an adb remount. If that doesn't work, try typing the following into a terminal emulator:
su
busybox mount -o remount,rw /system
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try ADB pushing again after that.

if you are able to install the apps by adb push. then maybe a .zip file can be created and use CWM to install all the stock apps.

Link9228 said:
You need to remount your system as read-write. Trying doing an adb remount. If that doesn't work, try typing the following into a terminal emulator:
Try ADB pushing again after that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well part of the issue is that I can't "su" while in adb shell. It says permission denied. When I type ADB devices normally, it'll list my device. But when I'm in "adb shell" it doesn't show anything. "adb remount" gives me the message "error: device not found".
Any other suggestions?

opethfan89 said:
Well part of the issue is that I can't "su" while in adb shell. It says permission denied. When I type ADB devices normally, it'll list my device. But when I'm in "adb shell" it doesn't show anything. "adb remount" gives me the message "error: device not found".
Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's weird. I've never seen that before. Are you certain that your adb drivers are installed properly? You can always use a terminal emulator on your device itself to remount the system as read/write and then use adb afterwards.

Link9228 said:
That's weird. I've never seen that before. Are you certain that your adb drivers are installed properly? You can always use a terminal emulator on your device itself to remount the system as read/write and then use adb afterwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure my drivers are installed correctly. Everything shows up in device manager, "adb devices" lists my device, fastboot flashes files just fine, so yea.
And yea I have the terminal emulator on my tablet and I've used it before for some stuff (installing Ubuntu) so I will try the steps you guys have mentioned. I'm in the process of trying out some other ROM's right now (Hydro atm, and then probably CleanROM) so once I go back to stock and have access to the appropriate files I'll try these steps.

Kobo Arc Development

So I was randomly flying around on Google today, and I noticed that someone had claimed to root the Kobo Arc, and gave written instructions here -- http : // www . mobileread . com / forums / showthread.php?p=2584491 (Remove the spaces, XDA won't let me post an actual link, since I don't have 10 posts yet). After running through this myself, I went on the Google Play store and used root checker. Much to my surprise, it worked, and my device now has root access. I even tested with Root Explorer, and mounted the system partition as R/W, and I can move things in and out of it. I'm currently working on trying to get a custom ROM working, but I'm worried that I will cause a brick, since Cyanogen doesn't support the Arc. (yet...)

ThunderBird2678 said:
So I was randomly flying around on Google today, and I noticed that someone had claimed to root the Kobo Arc, and gave written instructions here -- http : // www . mobileread . com / forums / showthread.php?p=2584491 (Remove the spaces, XDA won't let me post an actual link, since I don't have 10 posts yet). After running through this myself, I went on the Google Play store and used root checker. Much to my surprise, it worked, and my device now has root access. I even tested with Root Explorer, and mounted the system partition as R/W, and I can move things in and out of it. I'm currently working on trying to get a custom ROM working, but I'm worried that I will cause a brick, since Cyanogen doesn't support the Arc. (yet...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
confirmed, was just going to post this but was beaten to it.
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218928
ive attached the file but please go to that website and pay homage to whoever did this work...now to the next stop, a ROM
Device now has a working custom recovery see post 15
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app

dazza9075 said:
confirmed, was just going to post this but was beaten to it.
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218928
In terms of a ROM do we not need a compatible boot loader that will allow unsigned ROMs?
ive attached the file but please go to that website and pay homage to whoever did this work...now to find a man about a ROM
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have absolutely no idea what im doing but I think I have dumped 12 partitions using
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p10 of=/sdcard/p10.img
is there anyone around that fancies a challenge? im in a position where bricking this thing isn't really much of a problem so if someones up for a challenge and wants to help im willing to lend myself and the device to this

Warning : Block of Text Ahead.
dazza9075 said:
confirmed, was just going to post this but was beaten to it.
In terms of a ROM do we not need a compatible boot loader that will allow unsigned ROMs?
ive attached the file but please go to that website and pay homage to whoever did this work...now to find a man about a ROM
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha. As soon as I found a thread called "root the Kobo Arc" on Google, I posted it here right away. Sorry if I deprived you of the satisfaction! *troll*
Joking aside, I'm not too sure about the bootloader. I think it's pretty locked down (since I put a nexus 7's cyanogenmod onto the data partition and rebooted. It tried to updated, but said validation failed, or something of that sort). I can't install any custom recoveries either, since I have no idea how to do it in the first place, and there's none made for the Arc.
Also, I analyzed the Arc with the "Droid Examiner" App from the play store (That is a really great app, just so you know), and found that it uses a board called "zeus". The funny thing, though, is that one of Sony's Xperia phones, also has a board called "Zeus", and there's Cyanogenmod for that (albiet not the latest version). However, these two devices have nothing in common. The closest thing to an Arc that has Cyanogenmod is the Nook HD/HD+, which uses the exact same chip (OMAP TI 4470).
If someone is smart enough (not me) to analyze the Cyanogenmod files for the Nook, and see how they work, that may lead into flashing the Arc.
Anyway, I'm resetting the Arc, since I'm having weird cases where the Arc would freeze after booting it from sleep mode, and I'd have to turn it off and on again. I think that was something else I did, since it happened before the root, but neh, I might as well try this all from factory default settings.
Sorry for the block of text, guys!
P.S. Using the stock Jelly Bean boot animation on the Arc looks amazing!:laugh:

Haha, its cool, like yourself I just happened to Google kobo arc root and for once my googe fu was up to the task and the root appeared
I've been looking at starting my own recovery mod branch but its no simple task by the looks of it, if their are similar devices we can use all their data and tweak it to ours which would help a lot!
Oh I think we have fast boot, I held vol down and pushed power on, it just sat at the kobo arc screen, I used the nexus 7 driver from the universal adb/fastboot driver I found on here and it connected up http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2263822
I stumbled on some to good to be true program on Xda dev that apparently can root anything and unlock any bootloader once your in fastboot mode. I have tried that part and it said it was successful but i have no idea how to test this out yet, the program does a bunch of other stuff too, the adb stuff worked as did apk sending, and the rooting options knew i was rooted, it also has flashing functions, I'll be damed if I can find it now I'm at home though , I'll have another look.
I don't mind doing leg work but if someone can read the map it would be very helpful!
Edit, found it
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2399385
http://www.mediafire.com/?vwxpq62pa927s9c
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app

dazza9075 said:
Haha, its cool, like yourself I just happened to Google kobo arc root and for once my googe fu was up to the task and the root appeared
I've been looking at starting my own recovery mod branch but its no simple task by the looks of it, if their are similar devices we can use all their data and tweak it to ours which would help a lot!
Oh I think we have fast boot, I held vol down and pushed power on, it just sat at the kobo arc screen, I used the nexus 7 driver from the universal adb/fastboot driver I found on here and it connected up http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2263822
I stumbled on some to good to be true program on Xda dev that apparently can root anything and unlock any bootloader once your in fastboot mode. I have tried that part and it said it was successful but i have no idea how to test this out yet, the program does a bunch of other stuff too, the adb stuff worked as did apk sending, and the rooting options knew i was rooted, it also has flashing functions, I'll be damed if I can find it now I'm at home though , I'll have another look.
I don't mind doing leg work but if someone can read the map it would be very helpful!
Edit, found it
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2399385
http://www.mediafire.com/?vwxpq62pa927s9c
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um... Okay. I've installed the drivers (I think I installed them correctly), and I booted my device using "volume down + power". I have it connected to my System, but whenever I try to use one of the options in the Android Root Toolkit, it tells me it's waiting for the device. I don't know what I did wrong, but something's clearly not working.
As far as the recovery goes, I think that looking at the Nook Tablet from TWRP would work quite nicely. It runs on a similar processor ( I believe it's a OMAP TI 4430 ), and it seems to be quite similar in specs to the Arc. If only I was a bit better at programming...

ThunderBird2678 said:
Um... Okay. I've installed the drivers (I think I installed them correctly), and I booted my device using "volume down + power". I have it connected to my System, but whenever I try to use one of the options in the Android Root Toolkit, it tells me it's waiting for the device. I don't know what I did wrong, but something's clearly not working.
As far as the recovery goes, I think that looking at the Nook Tablet from TWRP would work quite nicely. It runs on a similar processor ( I believe it's a OMAP TI 4430 ), and it seems to be quite similar in specs to the Arc. If only I was a bit better at programming...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im usig the generic android adb driver and the bootloader driver for fast boot
im dumped all partitions and mapped them all out, see below for file system details
But again I'm blindly stabbing in the dark and most tutorials are a bit lacking in depth or not relevant to the kobo :/
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app

127|[email protected]:/ # blkid
/dev/block/dm-2: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/dm-1: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/dm-0: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/mmcblk0p12: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/mmcblk0p11: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/mmcblk0p10: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/mmcblk0p4: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
[email protected]:/ #

Okay, so I can't even push apps to the Arc using ADB. I think you have to boot into recovery (power + volume up). I don't know how to use the terminal at all (I'm lost, I know D: ), so I don't have that installed on the Arc. I remember being able to do ADB even with my Sony Reader (First gen, PRST1), so I'm not sure why the Arc isn't quite working. I have both drivers installed, BTW.
As for the recovery, I can't even find a method to flash it. I'm still trying everything I can, though. :\
Sent from my Arc using xda app-developers app

ive mapped out the following partitions and any info ive found about each of them, im not in a position to help at the moment, got a big day at work tomorrow, as mentioned above ive used several tools,
SuperSU,
ROM toolbox pro
busybox
remount
Below is a list of all the available partition names and numbers
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1 xloader
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/xloader
348KB
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 bootloader
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/bootloader
1.50MB
/dev/block/mmcblk0p3 cypto
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/crypto
Completely empty
64KB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p4 EFS
Mounted as /FACTORY
/dev/block/mmcblk0p4:UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/efs /factory ext4 ro,relatime,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
20MB
/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 misc
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/misc
Completely empty
128KB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p6 Bootlogo
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/bootlogo
Contains kobo arc picture
4MB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p7 Logos
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/logos
contains the battery charge logo
28MB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p8 recovery
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/recovery
data contains a GZ file, when decompressed we get a 8.5MB file of unknown type, exact same as in boot
5MB of data
16MB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 boot
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/boot
data contains a GZ file, when decompressed we get a 8.5MB file of unknown type, exact same as n recovery
4.5MB of data
8MB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p10 CACHE
Mounted as /CACHE
/dev/block/mmcblk0p10: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/cache /cache ext4
rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,errors=panic,barrier=1,nom blk_io_submit,data=ordered 0
0
768MB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p11 SYSTEM
Mounted as /SYSTEM
/dev/block/mmcblk0p11: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/system /system ext4
rw,relatime,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
910MB partition size
/dev/block/mmcblk0p12 USERDATA
Mounted as /DATA
/dev/block/mmcblk0p12: UUID="57f8f4bc-abf4-655f-bf67-946fc0f9f25b" TYPE="ext4"
/dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/userdata /data ext4
rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,errors=panic,barrier=1,nom blk_io_submit,data=ordered 0
0
12GB partition size

Watching with interest. The root works. No frills CPU installed and working. There may be hope for this thing yet:good:

Moved to new thread and more appropriate forum - keep up the good work guys

im not sure that's going to work you know, ive had some permission errors with adb which suggests the root isn't full, terminal on the device works fine, but adb just has some problems, adb shell and the su seems to fix them.
http://www.gadgetsdna.com/android-terminal-adb-shell-command-list/1168/
http://www.addictivetips.com/android/make-nandroid-backups-on-android-without-booting-into-recovery/
im busy today but ive found these useful
i think Clockwork Recovery should be our focus at this point or if you have dumped your partitions(?) attempt to construct a rom for later use
or this should work too
Install any Custom Recovery with flash_image:
Just like the previous method, this method also requires following advanced steps and is not recommended if the first method is working for you. flash_image is a tool for Android devices that lets you rewrite your phone’s system partitions with partition image files and installing it to your device requires ADB. If you don’t already have ADB installed, check out our guide on installing ADB. Once you have ADB installed, flash the custom recovery image as follows:
WARNING: It is very important that the recovery image that you use in this method is compatible with your device. Else it will not work and flashing it could possibly brick your device.​
Download flash_image and extract it from the zip file to a location on your computer. We extracted it to the main C drive (not in any folder) and will use that in the next steps.
Copy the recovery image for your phone to a convenient location on your computer, preferably with a short path. We will be placing it on the C Drive directly (not in any folder) and using that in the next steps.
Note: The recovery image should have .img extension. If it is in a zip file, extract the .img file from it.
Enable USB debugging mode on your device from Menu > Settings > Applications > Development.
Connect your device to your computer via USB.
Open a Command Prompt window on your computer and enter the following commands: adb push c:\flash_image /sdcard/adb push c:\recovery.img /sdcard/adb shellsumount -o remount, rw /systemcp /sdcard/flash_image /system/bincd /system/binchmod 777 flash_imageflash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.imgThis will first transfer flash_image and recovery.img to your phone. Then it will copy flash_image to the /system/bin folder of your Android device and make it executable. Finally, it will flash the custom recovery image to your device using flash_image.
Note that we used c:\flash_image and c:\recovery.img in the first two lines as we had these files extracted at the root of our C drive. If you extracted the files elsewhere, use the appropriate paths and if your recovery image has a different name, use the appropriate name.
Reboot your device once the process is finished and you’re done. You may exit adb and the Command Prompt window on your computer by entering ‘exit’ thrice.

dazza9075 said:
im not sure that's going to work you know, ive had some permission errors with adb which suggests the root isn't full, terminal on the device works fine, but adb just has some problems, adb shell and the su seems to fix them.
http://www.gadgetsdna.com/android-terminal-adb-shell-command-list/1168/
http://www.addictivetips.com/android/make-nandroid-backups-on-android-without-booting-into-recovery/
im busy today but ive found these useful
i think Clockwork Recovery should be our focus at this point or if you have dumped your partitions(?) attempt to construct a rom for later use
or this should work too
Install any Custom Recovery with flash_image:
Just like the previous method, this method also requires following advanced steps and is not recommended if the first method is working for you. flash_image is a tool for Android devices that lets you rewrite your phone’s system partitions with partition image files and installing it to your device requires ADB. If you don’t already have ADB installed, check out our guide on installing ADB. Once you have ADB installed, flash the custom recovery image as follows:
WARNING: It is very important that the recovery image that you use in this method is compatible with your device. Else it will not work and flashing it could possibly brick your device.​
Download flash_image and extract it from the zip file to a location on your computer. We extracted it to the main C drive (not in any folder) and will use that in the next steps.
Copy the recovery image for your phone to a convenient location on your computer, preferably with a short path. We will be placing it on the C Drive directly (not in any folder) and using that in the next steps.
Note: The recovery image should have .img extension. If it is in a zip file, extract the .img file from it.
Enable USB debugging mode on your device from Menu > Settings > Applications > Development.
Connect your device to your computer via USB.
Open a Command Prompt window on your computer and enter the following commands: adb push c:\flash_image /sdcard/adb push c:\recovery.img /sdcard/adb shellsumount -o remount, rw /systemcp /sdcard/flash_image /system/bincd /system/binchmod 777 flash_imageflash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.imgThis will first transfer flash_image and recovery.img to your phone. Then it will copy flash_image to the /system/bin folder of your Android device and make it executable. Finally, it will flash the custom recovery image to your device using flash_image.
Note that we used c:\flash_image and c:\recovery.img in the first two lines as we had these files extracted at the root of our C drive. If you extracted the files elsewhere, use the appropriate paths and if your recovery image has a different name, use the appropriate name.
Reboot your device once the process is finished and you’re done. You may exit adb and the Command Prompt window on your computer by entering ‘exit’ thrice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already tried that recovery method (I spent about two hours just googling), and it doesn't work with the Arc. The ADB won't let me push the image over.
As for Cyanogenmod, I tried something yesterday. A person on the Mobileread forums (apparently a Kobo employee) put out an update.zip file for the Kobo Arc. The file was quite old, and it's really just the 4.1.1 update that (I hope) we're all running. He said that as long as you put it on the root of the data partition, the Arc will flash it immediately. When I tried taking a Nexus 7's Cyanogenmod file and sticking it in the same place, the Arc started flashing it, but then just said there was an error with the update. So I personally think that you do require a properly signed ROM.
However, if you open up Kobo's update.zip using Winrar, a sidebar pops up that says "signed by SignApk". I don't know too much about this, but couldn't we use this "signapk" to sign our own ROMS and flash them?
Just a thought.

​
ThunderBird2678 said:
As for Cyanogenmod, I tried something yesterday. A person on the Mobileread forums (apparently a Kobo employee) put out an update.zip file for the Kobo Arc. The file was quite old, and it's really just the 4.1.1 update that (I hope) we're all running. He said that as long as you put it on the root of the data partition, the Arc will flash it immediately. When I tried taking a Nexus 7's Cyanogenmod file and sticking it in the same place, the Arc started flashing it, but then just said there was an error with the update. So I personally think that you do require a properly signed ROM.
However, if you open up Kobo's update.zip using Winrar, a sidebar pops up that says "signed by SignApk". I don't know too much about this, but couldn't we use this "signapk" to sign our own ROMS and flash them?
Just a thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there is a problem with the setup, I just flashed a CW recovery image and it worked, or didn't rather! but the concept did, transferred, flashed using adb, I had to replace it though as it was totally borked and kept restarting, apparently the touch based recovery methods can be like that, ill have some good time tomorrow night (UK time) if your about, and ill keep at it tonight if I get a chance!
copy recovery to adb location
adb push recovery.img /sdcard/
adb shell
su
cat /sdcard/recovery.img > /dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/recovery
exit adb shell and type
adb reboot recovery
fixed it by holding power button and vol down to boot to fastboot recovery
then ran
fastboot flash recovery inputrecovery.img
inputrecovery being my original recovery file taken from partition 8!
ive updated the partition map on the post above with my progress, but it looks like we can flash to them my name so its probably less relevant now
oh ive ditched the drivers I was using and reinstalled the drivers from the official SDK, generic android adb for within android and android bootloader for fastboot
EDIT
Yaaas!! recovery replaced
ok, deleting or renaming /etc/install-recover.sh appears to have stopped custom recovery being changed back to stock after reboot, I used the recovery builder to make a build from partition 8, which it did without error, flashed using the above commands.​
Still don't know what im doing though, but progress is progress ​
ill post a link to the custom recovery ive made soon, we need to make up some fstab file listing all the mounts etc, i tried one but it must be borked as recovery couldnt see anything​
​

ok i have a working recovery http://jenkins.cyanogenmod.com/job/recovery/35325/artifact/
its not quite done, i need to mount the sdcard, its physical location is mounted, ie /data, but its virtual mount isn't /storage/sdcard
I have asked for some help so hopefully someone can help be on this, I think it needs to be symlinked
im going to need some help soon, so if your reading this with a kobo arc, I need you! im needing a hand folks! if your stuck getting this far let me know and we can PM to get it working
oh and recovery is also now persistant by deleting or renaming /etc/install-recover.sh"

Sorted folks!
I have made a stable and thus far, a working custom recovery.
its mounting everything and backing up / restoring works as it should, unless anyone can find any issues I consider this step in building a complete ROM completed,
you must have root, download arctic.apk and install on your tablet, you will need to enable unknown sources In dev options first
you must have android and java sdk also installed, you will need to add the google usb drivers in the android sdk, you will find them in the "extras"
Enable usb debug on the arc and install the generic google adb usb drivers
Delete or rename /etc/install-recover.sh this will make the custom recovery persistent
Copy the recovery.img to the SDCard, either by using drag and drop in windows ( to root of "internal storage") or by adb push, if you use adb push then remember to copy recovery.img to the same folder as adb
adb push recovery.img /sdcard/
The next job is to open up a command window and navigate to adb folder, type the following exactly, even better copy and paste them!
adb shell
su
cat /sdcard/recovery.img > /dev/block/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/by-name/recovery
exit adb shell (ctrl+C) and type
adb reboot recovery
and bobs your uncle, one happy new recovery

Thanks for your hard work. Everything works quite well.
Sent from my Arc using Tapatalk 4

cancuck said:
Thanks for your hard work. Everything works quite well.
Sent from my Arc using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's the easy bit, I have a feeling I need to make a couple of changes to the recovery.img but noting major, just a couple of other mounts I may have missed
I probably would like some help with the next bit however.
im just trying to build a development platform, I have a loathing for Linux as a desktop so will need to re educate myself without throwing my laptop out of the window, after that "challenge" the ROM should be easy

Well, I've just done it, and it works. Everything seems to be in order for the time being. I'm going to muck around with the new capabilities, and see what I can do.