TF101 "bricked" and I can't restore it - Eee Pad Transformer General

Hi !
I am posting here because I'm a bit desperate.
I have a B40 TF101 and a B70 dock (I bought them separately).
I have tried to flash an official ASUS update downloaded from their website using EasyFlasher.
The thing is it did not work and now my tablet won't boot at all.
All I can do now is start APX mode. The wieird thing is that it does not work with every computer, some detect my tablet and some just don't. Note that it only works while the dock is connected. Without the dock, I can't get the APX mode to be detected on any of my computers.
On the only computer that detects it, I have tried pretty much everything I found on the web to restore a rom, using easyflasher again on windows, then juste wheelie's restore.sh script under linux.
Using easyflasher I can't download the complete rom (it stops at uploading blob.APP, saying that a timer has expired or something like that). I tried to simply install a custom recovery image, to be able to flash an update.zip from there. The flash process seems to go as expected but I just can't reboot into the recovery, the tablet only boots into APX mode.
I am really stuck there, and I hope someone among you will be able to help me or at least tell me there is still hope
Thanks

If you aren't getting many replies here, I would post this on the Q&A section.

You need an NVFLASH rom
even if it doesn't seem to have detected APX mode try it anyway

You have to install the apx mode drivers for your device in order for it to be detected by the computer plenty of tools available to recover your device just search for some good ones will even install the apx drivers for you for example this tool http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1185104

Related

help

So I have the acer a500 with the stock ics and rooted. i was using my tablet just fine last night and later on went to use it again and now its stuck on the acer screen. i have tried the resets for recovery aND IT does not work. its still stuck on the acer screen. can anyone help me? please. my tablet is the gen2 when i received the ics update if that helps. and as mentioned it was fine until last night. is there a way i can reinstall it with the sd card? i would love the stock image if possible.
Wrong forum section.
nishka256 said:
So I have the acer a500 with the stock ics and rooted. i was using my tablet just fine last night and later on went to use it again and now its stuck on the acer screen. i have tried the resets for recovery aND IT does not work. its still stuck on the acer screen. can anyone help me? please. my tablet is the gen2 when i received the ics update if that helps. and as mentioned it was fine until last night. is there a way i can reinstall it with the sd card? i would love the stock image if possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download a stock acer image and place it on a MicroSD under the name of update.zip then boot into recovery
But yes it is the wrong forum section - should be in Q&A doesn't bother me too much but it irritates devs because it's the development forum
Sent from my Iconia A500 using Tapatalk 2
ok
hi, thank you, please im not good at this. can you tell me a link for the stock? and tell me how do i boot it?
thank you
so can anyone direct ne to a sstock zip file of ics for the gen2 acer a500 tablet that works. i have no idea how my tablet got messed up. its stuck on the acer screen. ive tried so many things. i have tried the reset pinhole button, i have downloaded a lot of zip files or roms and tried to do the volume, power button and all i get is a robot with red triangle. i cannot use usb because my computer wont read it not even after downloading drivers. anyone help me please?
nishka256 said:
so can anyone direct ne to a sstock zip file of ics for the gen2 acer a500 tablet that works. i have no idea how my tablet got messed up. its stuck on the acer screen. ive tried so many things. i have tried the reset pinhole button, i have downloaded a lot of zip files or roms and tried to do the volume, power button and all i get is a robot with red triangle. i cannot use usb because my computer wont read it not even after downloading drivers. anyone help me please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what may have happened but the easiest way to fix your tab is to downgrade back to HC using an acer utility called an "EUU". you will need your cpuid for this so i hope you have saved it somewhere.
Look here for 'jazzyjames' tutorial How to rollback to HC - for instructions on how to do this and a link to timmydeans HC EUU - also take a look thru my cpuid post (link in sig) for loads of info and links and even how to get yr cpuid if u dont have it
thanks i tried it and follow instructions numerous times. evry time i get to the step where it says "entering acer download mode on my tablet" on the EUU program on my laptop it says it "failed" so i try and try again with the same results. im running out of options. i dont know what to do.
maybe give this a shot. I've never had to use it myself but it's probably worth a shot.
How to unbrick your tablet -
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1699277
oh heck that doesnt sound too good, i've not heard of the actual EUU "failing" guess thats the result of the usb issue you spoke of!
The "update.zip" method, you have 2 choices here See this thread for all the Official Acer Stock Roms - Ensure you download a "Full" rom and not just one of the update packages....instructions are in the first post...
You need to extract the update.zip and it may need to be decrypted as I said instructions for all this are in the OP!!
method2 - I've tried this once!! I got pretty frustrated real quick. Its a buggy chinese rom - took me a good hour to finally get into flashing a recovery, but it did work and plenty of others
have posted success with it... drkalo has a guide right here
Failing that m8 yr options are very, very few...
Try on a different computer so we can rule that out...or not!
or try to troubleshoot the usb issue....there are the only 2 ways via sdcard or pc/usb...
thinking about it now, in your post you said
"i cannot use usb because my computer wont read it not even after downloading drivers. anyone help me please?"
Not sure I follow, wouldnt have thought you'd get all that way to download mode without USB drivers to begin with.
You have debugging enabled in settings and you connect your cable to your pc but your tab does not show up on your PC in Device Manager???
Are you still on the stock bootloader??what about recovery??
this is what comes up
this is what comes up after trying this methid
nishka256 said:
this is what comes up after trying this methid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So this window that pops up saying 'failed' and with instructions to go into apx mode - did u do this? what happened after you did it?
I haven't seen this particular error but normally with the downgrade process you do not have yr tab connected UNTIL you see the "cant detect your iconia tab" window (with similar instructions to enter apx mode manually) did you see this window at all? you do not enter your cpuid until AFTER you have put yr tab in apx mode and connected to yr PC, then the green status bar shows and then you should see "Congratulations".
To check you are in apx mode your tab screen is black and the power light is ON.
Now before you connect yr tab to yr PC open up Device Manager (pc) so you can make sure the apx/usb driver loads when you connect the cable - it will show under "USB Controllers". Once you can confirm the drivers are installed then you should be all good
The drivers are a bit of a pain as there are different ones for each different 'mode' of your tab i.e
USB driver that allows you to see the contents of yr tab from yr PC
ADB driver that allows yr tab and pc to communicate by sending commands to yr tab via yr PC
APX Driver which you normally only see while running HC, but yr PC can sometimes report an error with the "apx device" if the drivers have not installed properly
Acer Boot/Recovery Driver which NEEDS to be installed for any type of nvflash or EUU flash to be successful
Fastboot Driver if you have flashed bootloader v3 up this driver will load when you enter "Fastboot"
This is why folks have trouble with drivers and why we keep telling them "reinstall the drivers!!!" The Acer drivers from acer support AND the Google adb drivers which you can get from the first post of my cpuid thread (link in sig) the zip also has the fastboot drivers and saves you having to download the full android sdk. Having device manager OPEN while attempting any type of flash definitely helps you see whats happening - or not - driver wise...

Sorry Guys but another A500 Bricked APX mode only

Hello,
I am another unfortunate user who has bricked his tablet. I installed Jue11 Ram Manager Plus and it asked to reboot my tab. On reboot it was bricked, flashing the android logo and not going any further. I have tried everything listed on the site to get my CPUID to no avail. have followed all instructions including trying to retrive using Ubuntu Linux, A500 Flash Tool, (which tells me it is in APX mode but returns a blank serial), NVflash gives a device not found. Any help? I am technically saavey on PC, Windows and the like, but fairly new to tablets.
A little more info, using A500 Manager it reports a500 in APX mode then acts like it is retrieving the serial but comes back blank. Nvflash reports device not found. Using Ubuntu gives errors but reports all needed packages are installed, (not a Linux Power User so could be an ID10T Error on my part).
Please, I appreciate any and all help.
hartgraves
hartgraves said:
Hello,
I am another unfortunate user who has bricked his tablet. I installed Jue11 Ram Manager Plus and it asked to reboot my tab. On reboot it was bricked, flashing the android logo and not going any further. I have tried everything listed on the site to get my CPUID to no avail. have followed all instructions including trying to retrive using Ubuntu Linux, A500 Flash Tool, (which tells me it is in APX mode but returns a blank serial), NVflash gives a device not found. Any help? I am technically saavey on PC, Windows and the like, but fairly new to tablets.
A little more info, using A500 Manager it reports a500 in APX mode then acts like it is retrieving the serial but comes back blank. Nvflash reports device not found. Using Ubuntu gives errors but reports all needed packages are installed, (not a Linux Power User so could be an ID10T Error on my part).
Please, I appreciate any and all help.
hartgraves
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if u meant rom manager - our tab isnt supported, you'll need the patched BL before u can install a custom recovery
if nvflash is reporting device not found then check your data cable and/or that the acer usb boot recovery is installing from apx mode. You may need to manually install it by pointing it to the acer folder in program files/data depending which win OS u have...
try that and see how u get on...
dibb_nz said:
if u meant rom manager - our tab isnt supported, you'll need the patched BL before u can install a custom recovery
if nvflash is reporting device not found then check your data cable and/or that the acer usb boot recovery is installing from apx mode. You may need to manually install it by pointing it to the acer folder in program files/data depending which win OS u have...
try that and see how u get on...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you are using the mini usb cable and not the full size..
Try this for a possible fix
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1823583

tf101 bootloop, corrupt recovery, apx inaccessible. lend me a hand?

ok so i have a pretty big problem and very minimal experience with flashing and rooting. Reading and studying many many forums i have peiced together what i have done wrong to do brick my tablet. So to begin a few days ago i managed to wipe my stock recovery and flashed a non existant one, reason being is i didnt download a recovery and unzip it in the required folder. the following day i had it rooted, that was successful. i installed an app from the android market which required root access and a reboot. It is now in bootloop on the "Asus Inspiring Innovation Persistant Perfection" Recovery results in the "Dead Andriod" screen. i have tried flashing using easy flasher but i cant get into APX mode to do so. if i exicute apx mode and plug the usb into the pc i dont get a response, but if have the cable already plugged in and exicute apx i hear chimes and i get "win 7 apx drivers not installed" i tried easy flasher and successfuly flashed WW_epaduser9_2_1_27UpdateLauncher asus stock rom however it still stuck in bootloop. i tried the recovery feature that came with easy flasher but that still result in bootloop when i boot from recovery. i have tried many recovery mods and none seem to work. im doing something wrong i just need someones help getting me out of this i dont want to make anymore mistakes. i have done enough damage. im taking this as light as possible, im a noob i watched the xda noob video and i read a t101 guide on a thread here on this website. many thanks for caring about a strangers issues.
asus tf101 S/N :B60KASO41231
ICS 4.0.3
9.2.1.27
rooted stock rom
audiphur said:
ok so i have a pretty big problem and very minimal experience with flashing and rooting. Reading and studying many many forums i have peiced together what i have done wrong to do brick my tablet. So to begin a few days ago i managed to wipe my stock recovery and flashed a non existant one, reason being is i didnt download a recovery and unzip it in the required folder. the following day i had it rooted, that was successful. i installed an app from the android market which required root access and a reboot. It is now in bootloop on the "Asus Inspiring Innovation Persistant Perfection" Recovery results in the "Dead Andriod" screen. i have tried flashing using easy flasher but i cant get into APX mode to do so. if i exicute apx mode and plug the usb into the pc i dont get a response, but if have the cable already plugged in and exicute apx i hear chimes and i get "win 7 apx drivers not installed" i tried easy flasher and successfuly flashed WW_epaduser9_2_1_27UpdateLauncher asus stock rom however it still stuck in bootloop. i tried the recovery feature that came with easy flasher but that still result in bootloop when i boot from recovery. i have tried many recovery mods and none seem to work. im doing something wrong i just need someones help getting me out of this i dont want to make anymore mistakes. i have done enough damage. im taking this as light as possible, im a noob i watched the xda noob video and i read a t101 guide on a thread here on this website. many thanks for caring about a strangers issues.
asus tf101 S/N :B60KASO41231
ICS 4.0.3
9.2.1.27
rooted stock rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i finally got easy flasher to work, installed apx drivers manually updated device booted into apx mode ran easy flasher and got me out of bootloop, thank you.
audiphur said:
i finally got easy flasher to work, installed apx drivers manually updated device booted into apx mode ran easy flasher and got me out of bootloop, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you post the steps please?
mstrblueskys said:
Can you post the steps please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this:
Open page with EasyFlasher
Download EasyFlasher
Restart your device into APX (power off than power on while holding volume up - screen will turn black and it will look like off)
Connect your tablet to windows computer. If you already have APX drivers just continue with next step. If don't, windows probably show you info that they didn't find proper driver. Just download APX driver (link on Easy Flasher page), open device manager on windows, right click on APX (it will have exclamation mark next to it) and choose update driver and select manual location to location where you extracted apx drivers.
Download the latest ASUS stock firmware (link also on Easy Flasher page)
Choose Flash Asus stock zip / Unbrick and select location of downloaded stock
When finished, click on flash button in Recovery area.
reboot and pray

[Q][SOLVED] A500 bricked, stuck in bootloader. Won't boot kernel or recovery.

I am sorry to start a new thread but I have been reading threads and trying things now for over 7 hours straight. I have bricked my mothers A500.
I installed Skrillex V8 bootloader to my own tablet with Thor 1.7.3 recovery and a CM10.2 rom, everything worked fine. My mother liked how my tablet had way more battery and seemed faster then her own so she asked me to do it to hers.
I did everything the same except I had deleted the files and had to find a different bootloader so I found the "lightspeed" version of Skrilex V8 and as it seemed to just be a re-skin figured it was fine.
I downgraded to the unstable 3.0.2 build then installed iconia root and a Thor recovery via acer recovery. I then installed the lightspeed bootloader via thor with intentions of then installing the newer thor and rom after.
This is where im stuffed, after installing the new bootloader it is screwed. I cannot enter recovery or boot the primary kernal. I attempt to enter fastboot and although the tablet goes into fastboot it outputs errors and has random lockups and freezing on the tablet which the computer identifies as it being disconnected.
I have tried searching the forums for an answer and have tried everything I can understand but I am truely boned. As I am writing this I am installing packages to my Ubuntu laptop so that I can obtain the UID through the terminal in hopes it will work with APX and blackthunders tools.
If I cannot get it working I will simply wipe and give my mother my tablet, But I would really like to try and get this son of a ***** working again. I am currently incredibly annoyed at it and am probably missing something obvious. Please help me.
[UPDATE 1]
I have managed to obtain my CPUID and thus my SBK through the method described here -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1751978
I am still unable to use any tools as my PC will not recognize it in APX mode, I have reinstalled the drivers, restarted, tried multiple USB ports, uninstalled the failed unrecognized device and started from scratch a few times and I just cant seem to get it to detect them. Also tried other USB cables incase it was iffy, checked contacts on ports. There also cannot be any env variable or reg conflicts as I used my diagnostic machine to check it and it booted into its clean OS.
the APX seems to work with my linux unit though, but the blackthunder tools are for windows...
[UPDATE 2]
Using the tutorial here ->http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2444187
I made it boot into the APX mode with the yellow acer logo and the APX mode text at the top, however I left it for a while and it didnt seem to finish flashing, using lsusb I can see its still connected to the linux box but it is clearly not flashing properly.
I am going to leave it for a bit then try unplugging from linux and plugging into windows while in the yellow acer logo screen with verbose output and see if blackthunders tool detects it.
[UPDATE 3]
DO NOT try what i did in update 2, I believe i removed it when it was formatting the partition, it wont even boot to the bootloader now. black screen with white light on power button and cannot be detected as APX.
[UPDATE 4]
I treid a few more times at getting it into APX mode and it turns out its just being dicky and freezing randomly, however, by trying a few times (this is dangerous but i had nothing to lose at this point) to run the Nvflash script on my linux box eventually it run through and installed the v9 bootloader. This bootloader allowed me to go into Fastboot without the freezing or crashing or loss of communications i was experiencing before. I then using fastboot flashed a recovery appropriate to the v9 bootloader and am now using that to flash a 4.3 rom. This should completely fix all the problems.
I am now sure (as previously I could only guess that the problem was caused by a dicky install of the lightspeed bootloader (a custom variant of skrilex v8 designed to match the theme of the lightspeed rom).
[UPDATE 5]
Working
Adding solved to title as I know the feeling when you come across an old thread that talks about your problem and has no replies or help.
-V0L4T1LE
Been using XDA for years never bothered to post as have never had to spend more then a few hours to solve a problem, this one took me a long time though so I decided to ask for help. Nevermind, didnt need it.
Awsum and well done getting yrself sorted, thanx for posting
rgds dibb
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4
Can you extract the partition 4 using nvflash --rawdeviceread to a file and share to me? My A500 is bricked and cannot download to it. only --rawdevicewrite works.
Thanks!

APX MODE driver and stuck in APX mode issues

Tab is an acer iconia a500 8gb version running CWM, and HC bootloader. Last ROM on honeycomb was flexreaper but I forget version. I hadn't used tab in a while.
I wanted to let you know how I resolved it. I spent 2 days trying to upgrade to ICS bootloader and touch recovery. I almost gave up with a partial brick of a tab. I was no longer able to boot a ROM but could get to APX mode (sort of APX mode) where screen was black and power LED was on by using manual process. Hold in power and Reset for 3 seconds then release power while holding reset for another second. Tab would be recognized as APX mode device by the computer and flash tools but I couldn't get any of the tools to do the flashing. Blackthunder and nvflash failed with various errors. I found out after hours of trying this was not really APX mode. See below.
1. To fix USB driver issue. I had to install the Naked USB driver and Google USB driver from SDK package. All links found here on XDA. Only at this point did the tab show as a valid working APX device in devices and printers. Drivers still showed as unknown but worked. In Device manager was showing under USB host controller as acer usb recovery device or something like that.At this point I had all drivers installed. Acer driver, Google USB, and naked driver. I installed in that order until device was working on win 7 x64.
2. APX mode is described in some places as blank screen with power LED on but this is like stage one of apx mode. You still need the tool (nvflash or blackthunder) to get you to the point where the screen says APX mode in white font in the left upper corner and you are truely in APX mode. Use the auto process in the tool until you get there. My tab also had the word acer in large green font in the middle of the LCD when in true APX mode. I was never able to get to full APX mode using manual APX process on tab. This seems to place the tab in an APX ready state. Then you can use nvflash, a500manager, or blackthunder auto tools to get to full apx mode. Tab does a quick reboot or something and vibrates when going from APX ready to full APX mode with the screen going from blank to where it says apx mode in small white letters and acer in green large font (middle of screen). After I was in APX mode The only thing that worked was BABSECTOR or BADSECTOR tool to flash it. I ran the a501a.bat and then the a501b.bat inside the extracted folder to get ICS V8 bootloader and touch recovery installed. Once I used the BADSECTOR tool the process was quick and flashed in a matter of a few minutes. In 2 minutes I had completed what was going on for almost 2 days. Wow! I almost gave up. You can edit the script or just insert your SBK at the prompt.
I found the BAD or BABSECTOR process listed in a short post comment on another forum using google searches. There wasn't a lot of detail. Just the order of file use and that it it worked for someone who was having similar issues. You obviously need your SBK.
Hope this helps someone. Good luck!
Auto signature below is wrong. I had changed to flexreaper ROM.
smd11873 said:
Tab is an acer iconia a500 8gb version running CWM, and HC bootloader. Last ROM on honeycomb was flexreaper but I forget version. I hadn't used tab in a while.
I wanted to let you know how I resolved it. I spent 2 days trying to upgrade to ICS bootloader and touch recovery. I almost gave up with a partial brick of a tab. I was no longer able to boot a ROM but could get to APX mode (sort of APX mode) where screen was black and power LED was on by using manual process. Hold in power and Reset for 3 seconds then release power while holding reset for another second. Tab would be recognized as APX mode device by the computer and flash tools but I couldn't get any of the tools to do the flashing. Blackthunder and nvflash failed with various errors. I found out after hours of trying this was not really APX mode. See below.
1. To fix USB driver issue. I had to install the Naked USB driver and Google USB driver from SDK package. All links found here on XDA. Only at this point did the tab show as a valid working APX device in devices and printers. Drivers still showed as unknown but worked. In Device manager was showing under USB host controller as acer usb recovery device or something like that.At this point I had all drivers installed. Acer driver, Google USB, and naked driver. I installed in that order until device was working on win 7 x64.
2. APX mode is described in some places as blank screen with power LED on but this is like stage one of apx mode. You still need the tool (nvflash or blackthunder) to get you to the point where the screen says APX mode in white font in the left upper corner and you are truely in APX mode. Use the auto process in the tool until you get there. My tab also had the word acer in large green font in the middle of the LCD when in true APX mode. I was never able to get to full APX mode using manual APX process on tab. This seems to place the tab in an APX ready state. Then you can use nvflash, a500manager, or blackthunder auto tools to get to full apx mode. Tab does a quick reboot or something and vibrates when going from APX ready to full APX mode with the screen going from blank to where it says apx mode in small white letters and acer in green large font (middle of screen). After I was in APX mode The only thing that worked was BABSECTOR or BADSECTOR tool to flash it. I ran the a501a.bat and then the a501b.bat inside the extracted folder to get ICS V8 bootloader and touch recovery installed. Once I used the BADSECTOR tool the process was quick and flashed in a matter of a few minutes. In 2 minutes I had completed what was going on for almost 2 days. Wow! I almost gave up. You can edit the script or just insert your SBK at the prompt.
I found the BAD or BABSECTOR process listed in a short post comment on another forum using google searches. There wasn't a lot of detail. Just the order of file use and that it it worked for someone who was having similar issues. You obviously need your SBK.
Hope this helps someone. Good luck!
Auto signature below is wrong. I had changed to flexreaper ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thanks for your informative post - I had no idea there were different "apx modes".
Can you link where you downloaded your drivers in step 1 and the tools in step 2? If your method actually worked, some links would really be helpful.
Thanks!
Rich

Categories

Resources