A501 with ICS is bricked - Need basic advice. - Acer Iconia A500

Before I start, I'll say that I have searched extensively about bricked A50x tablets and possible recover paths etc. There is so much information out there that I need to weed out the noise by asking a few basic questions.
Scenario: The A501 was running stock OTA ICS and has been for a while. When I got home yesterday, it was powered off but on charge. I tried restarting it and it just stopped at the "android" logo, having passed the ACER logo. Retried a number of times but the same thing each time. Tried a "pin reset" on it, just in case it changed anything. It did, by making it stall at the ACER logo instead. I have done the basics of clearing userdata/cache etc but this doesn't help. It does attempt to enter recovery mode but obviously fails as I don't have a valid ICS recovery "update.zip" file. It will not use an A501 HC 3.2.1 image but I seem to remember that you can't "go back" once you have gone up to ICS. My gut feeling is that I have had an eMMC failure and that the tablet is probably "toast".
a) Has anyone got a FULL A501 ICS rom image that I can try in stock recovery?
b) Is there any point in trying a FULL A500 ICS rom image? If so, as I need the 3G and GPS, can I "convert" from A500 to A501 later?
c) If APX mode is the only recovery method, is there an A501 specific procedure, especially if I have to start considering bad eMMC recovery?
d) Given the age of the tablet and the fact that it's over a year old, so out of warranty, should I even bother as it may be on it's way out permanently?
Regards and thanks for helpful responses.
Z.

@zardoz99.... I apologise in advance for this reply not being really helpful. I think you should try and reach "MoscowDesire" - in my opinion he is one of the most knowledgeable gurus of the A501. You could hold on to this thread and hope he sees it or you could PM him.

Hmm.. Tried to do an APX reload using both an A501 and an A500 EUU but in both cases it just stops at about 15%. No errors or warnings given.
From looking at other posts that have documented the same symptom, it seems that the only solution has been a replacement motherboard by Acer.
As this is one of the 64GB units, that's not going to be cheap, so I am calling this one "deceased". My new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 will be arriving today to replace it.
Thanks for reading...
Z.

Related

[Q] boot verification failed

I can list any number of things that I've done/tried, but there have been so many! I'm not a noob when it comes to flashing ROMs, but I'm a new to the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and that's the problem, I think.
Anyway, I got the A500 with Honeycomb and I let it do the ICS OTA. No problem. Then I rooted it. No problem. I got to here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=31546261#post31546261
Then I decided to change the bootloader and that's when I borked something up. It would still boot into ICS just fine, but I couldn't get into recovery. I decided to try downgrading to Honeycomb 3.0.1 using the "unstable" update.zip, but that just ruined everything as now I'm completely stuck. I can't boot at all, it just hangs at the black screen with white Acer letters and red "boot verification failed" in the top left corner. Recovery gets me the dead Android image with the black exclamation point in a red triangle.
I have looked all over and I've read dozens of XDA threads...and I'm sure I'm missing the one thing I need to do to fix this, but heck if I know what it is. I have the Acer drivers installed on my computer, I have a variety of tools (nvflash, blackthund3r's apxflash, etc) waiting to be used if necessary.
So, please, I implore you...treat me like I'm dumb and walk me step-by-step through whatever it is I need to do to get my A500 back up and running! Thanks for your help!
UPDATE: Many hours later, I fixed it! I did another update using the full, stock image of Acer_A500_7.006.01_COM_GEN2 (just guessing about whether it would work or not) and it seems to have done it. Sure, I'm back on Honeycomb 3.2, but it worked. And then I was able to use AfterOTA to root and get the CWM bootloader on there.
So my next question: what do I need to do in order to get ICS? Can I just flash an ICS ROM from CWM, or do I need to update the bootloader in some way?
Thanks!
moonlightinwhite said:
I can list any number of things that I've done/tried, but there have been so many! I'm not a noob when it comes to flashing ROMs, but I'm a new to the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and that's the problem, I think.
Anyway, I got the A500 with Honeycomb and I let it do the ICS OTA. No problem. Then I rooted it. No problem. I got to here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=31546261#post31546261
Then I decided to change the bootloader and that's when I borked something up. It would still boot into ICS just fine, but I couldn't get into recovery. I decided to try downgrading to Honeycomb 3.0.1 using the "unstable" update.zip, but that just ruined everything as now I'm completely stuck. I can't boot at all, it just hangs at the black screen with white Acer letters and red "boot verification failed" in the top left corner. Recovery gets me the dead Android image with the black exclamation point in a red triangle.
I have looked all over and I've read dozens of XDA threads...and I'm sure I'm missing the one thing I need to do to fix this, but heck if I know what it is. I have the Acer drivers installed on my computer, I have a variety of tools (nvflash, blackthund3r's apxflash, etc) waiting to be used if necessary.
So, please, I implore you...treat me like I'm dumb and walk me step-by-step through whatever it is I need to do to get my A500 back up and running! Thanks for your help!
UPDATE: Many hours later, I fixed it! I did another update using the full, stock image of Acer_A500_7.006.01_COM_GEN2 (just guessing about whether it would work or not) and it seems to have done it. Sure, I'm back on Honeycomb 3.2, but it worked. And then I was able to use AfterOTA to root and get the CWM bootloader on there.
So my next question: what do I need to do in order to get ICS? Can I just flash an ICS ROM from CWM, or do I need to update the bootloader in some way?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and No.
Now that you are on HC 3.2, you're going to need to do the process again.
IE: Unlocked Bootloader and CWM
The problem you had at first, is that when you flashed the UNL bootloader and CWM, you missed 1 tiny step. (lot of people forget to do this) And that is to delete the boot-recovery.p file from the /System. If you do not, you can install CWM, however, when you boot into stock ICS, your CWM gets overwritten. Another little trick from Acer
In the Dev Section, in the stickies part, Civato posted a link to a full ICS Stock Root Rom, With all the nasty stuff removed. (bootloader, recovery files). Download it, put it on your Ext Sd card.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31572588&postcount=6
Then do the unlocked bootloader + Cwm again. Only THIS TIME, when it finishes, boot the tab immediately to CWM (vol- and PWR). And install the modified stock rom, or one of the custom roms.
Don;t forget to get your HC UID number written down before starting the process. Also it's good after ICS to get your ICS UID number also written down.
MD

[Solved]ACER Iconia A501 3g/wifi TAB - Help with root/ROM install (TimmyDean method)

Hi everyone.
Just repeating again - the model I have is A501 on stock 3.2.1 Honeycomb - a more USEFUL tablet with 3G and WIFI capabilities...One would think it would be a much more popular model, but the A501 doesn't have its own board on XDA; its merged with this board for the less practical A500. Basically, I have created this thread as I don't want to take any 'extra' risks in successfully installing ROOT with the CORRECT ROM with the most updated version of Android available for this tab, for example Jellybean...
Another A501 user, beny9 posted:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1745550
Following TimmyDean's method (thank you) I have now managed to install 3.2 Honeycomb A500 ROM with success after completing steps 1-15 inclusive from his README file. As you will know, I don't have 3G or GPS functionality, so I need a stock A501 ROM to install.
I have found:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1113878
Is my best bet to install Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1 : http://cdn.a1.futuredial.com/Acer_A5...2_35b68c5d.zip from that above link, which will keep me on HC 3.2 but now, it will be the ROM for the A501? As it seems the only other NEWER Acer updates for ICS are A500 only...
Can someone link me the a fully detailed video or post on here on installing the ROM i mentioned above (if that's the best one to go with, given what I'm on now; A500 3.2 and still keeping root), or to install some other A501 ROM which is for at least Jellybean or ICS?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1828876
Per this link, shoukd i just use the update.zip (for the 3.2 HC A501 ROM) put it on the SD card then boot up holding POWER + VOL DOWN until the file auto-installs?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1099673
Before I can try the above, I also have trouble after i download the ROM's zip file when I try to unzip. I have downloaded the Acer Update Decrypter, but AVG antiVirus will not allow me to run the EVE file even as an administrator. What should i do?
Thanks
RoOSTA
Your best bet is to install a good 501 HC 3.2 and get on HC for your 501.
The files are available. What you'll probably want is a full HC Update rom for the 501. Note that some of these Acer roms are encrypted, so you'll need to decrypt it first. You can find the decrypting tool in the Themes and Apps forum, as a "Sticky". After decrypting, you can pull the update.zip out of it, and copy to Ext SD (do not extract, just pull the update file out). Boot the tab holding Vol- and PWR I believe. Might be Vol+ but I can't remember. This should force the tab to look for update.zip on your SD and install it.
I would use this one;
Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1
After it installs, and you get it set up, you need to get Acer Update Enhancer from the Play Store. This will allow your tab to get the ICS OTA.
Keep in mind, there is only 1 official ICS OTA update for the 501, so don't expect more. It may do it in 2 steps though.
If you want root on ICS, there is really only 1 way to get true root and adb system remounts. And that's to flash the V8 unlocked ICS Bootloader, and flash an insecure boot.image. There's currently a small package that'll give you somewhat root, but it's a pain and really doesn't do a good job. So it's better to get the V8 and unsecure boot image. Might be a good idea to also install CWM Recovery at the same time.
Get the correct rom installed first, then check back if you need help.
Oh yeah, one more thing. When you are on HC 3.2, get your UID number and write it down somewhere. You need this as a safety precaution. There's a good sticky thread on how to do it. Pretty simple really.
MD
Ugh. I have a pain in the A$$ version of AVG...even under advanced settings there was no disable options. Managed to figure it out to run the Acer Decrypter EXE and fix the image you have advised I should download and flash. Will give that a go now...
Thanks again!
Just to fill you in, this issue is solved.
1. Used TimmyDeans rollback V4 tool to a 500 rom
2. SD card was not recognized in CWM or Stock recovery. Was however recognized in the HC OS.
3. Formatted SD Card using Mini Tool formatting app. Format primary partition only to fat32 (defaults)
4. Decrypted and pulled update.zip from this 501 HC full update rom
Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1816560
5. Did OTA update to 3.2.1
6. No more OTA available, even after installing Acer Update Enhancment tool.
7. Downloaded and used Blackthund3rs Bootloader management app
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1622425
8.Downloaded V8 and CWM package, unzipped to the same folder as the tool
9. Ran the 500NVFlashapx app.
10. After completion, booted to CWM recovery, wiped and formatted, and install Moscow Desire's RaptorX almost stock ICS rom.
Works as advertised.
MD
Yep. All thanks to MD's patience and assistance throughout these steps..
Moscow Desire said:
Just to fill you in, this issue is solved.
1. Used TimmyDeans rollback V4 tool to a 500 rom
2. SD card was not recognized in CWM or Stock recovery. Was however recognized in the HC OS.
3. Formatted SD Card using Mini Tool formatting app. Format primary partition only to fat32 (defaults)
4. Decrypted and pulled update.zip from this 501 HC full update rom
Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1816560
5. Did OTA update to 3.2.1
6. No more OTA available, even after installing Acer Update Enhancment tool.
7. Downloaded and used Blackthund3rs Bootloader management app
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1622425
8.Downloaded V8 and CWM package, unzipped to the same folder as the tool
9. Ran the 500NVFlashapx app.
10. After completion, booted to CWM recovery, wiped and formatted, and install Moscow Desire's RaptorX almost stock ICS rom.
Works as advertised.
MD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Acer A501 OS refreshment
Moscow Desire said:
Your best bet is to install a good 501 HC 3.2 and get on HC for your 501.
The files are available. What you'll probably want is a full HC Update rom for the 501. Note that some of these Acer roms are encrypted, so you'll need to decrypt it first. You can find the decrypting tool in the Themes and Apps forum, as a "Sticky". After decrypting, you can pull the update.zip out of it, and copy to Ext SD (do not extract, just pull the update file out). Boot the tab holding Vol- and PWR I believe. Might be Vol+ but I can't remember. This should force the tab to look for update.zip on your SD and install it.
I would use this one;
Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1
After it installs, and you get it set up, you need to get Acer Update Enhancer from the Play Store. This will allow your tab to get the ICS OTA.
Keep in mind, there is only 1 official ICS OTA update for the 501, so don't expect more. It may do it in 2 steps though.
If you want root on ICS, there is really only 1 way to get true root and adb system remounts. And that's to flash the V8 unlocked ICS Bootloader, and flash an insecure boot.image. There's currently a small package that'll give you somewhat root, but it's a pain and really doesn't do a good job. So it's better to get the V8 and unsecure boot image. Might be a good idea to also install CWM Recovery at the same time.
Get the correct rom installed first, then check back if you need help.
Oh yeah, one more thing. When you are on HC 3.2, get your UID number and write it down somewhere. You need this as a safety precaution. There's a good sticky thread on how to do it. Pretty simple really.
MD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am embarking on a very crucial mission for my Acer A501 . Its tablet OS refreshment. I have spoken and written to Acer but all my pleas have fallen on deaf ears. At last i stumbled on this site and WOW ! I am downloading the Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1 and will flash as per the instruction. But I am finding difficult to locate the "sticky" software for the decryption the above. can you please help me locate the same.
I really appreciate your help and thank you in advance
jonnybrave said:
I am embarking on a very crucial mission for my Acer A501 . Its tablet OS refreshment. I have spoken and written to Acer but all my pleas have fallen on deaf ears. At last i stumbled on this site and WOW ! I am downloading the Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1 and will flash as per the instruction. But I am finding difficult to locate the "sticky" software for the decryption the above. can you please help me locate the same.
I really appreciate your help and thank you in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the decryption tool. Located in themes and apps.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1869505
Good Luck!
MD
Trouble installing update.zip for A501
Moscow Desire said:
Here is the decryption tool. Located in themes and apps.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1869505
Good Luck!
MD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi MD,
I have Acer Iconia A501 tablet. My tablet suddenly showed andriod logo with exclamation mark when it was being used. Upon looking at your posts, I found the resolution which I tried. I am not expert in this all, but I tried running your ROM "41-124-01-A500-update" from one of your posts which was actually meant for A500. This resolved the issue successfully and tablet was up and running.
Then further I found full ROM for A501 as mentioned below and thought that I should try the ROM meant for the model of my tablet.
I successfully decrypted the ROM that you mentioned "Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1"
When I tried to update it with the mentioned ROM update.zip, it did updated it from SD card and passed android symbol with those gears running. However, when it restarted the tablet by itself, it showed ACER logo and then it showed "ANDROID" (spelling in blue color) which kept on flikering slowly for long long time....for more than 30 minutes and did not moved further. Can you please let me know whats could be wrong?
I also tried ICS ROM, but that didn't worked (it failed). So after couple of trail and error, I moved back to A500 ROM update.zip which I knew that is installing successfully.
Can you please let me know what shall be done in case I want update.zip for A501? It will be highly appreciated if you can upload update.zip directly that I can use and that gets installed successfully.
Regards,
Muk
mukapril said:
Hi MD,
I have Acer Iconia A501 tablet. My tablet suddenly showed andriod logo with exclamation mark when it was being used. Upon looking at your posts, I found the resolution which I tried. I am not expert in this all, but I tried running your ROM "41-124-01-A500-update" from one of your posts which was actually meant for A500. This resolved the issue successfully and tablet was up and running.
Then further I found full ROM for A501 as mentioned below and thought that I should try the ROM meant for the model of my tablet.
I successfully decrypted the ROM that you mentioned "Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1"
When I tried to update it with the mentioned ROM update.zip, it did updated it from SD card and passed android symbol with those gears running. However, when it restarted the tablet by itself, it showed ACER logo and then it showed "ANDROID" (spelling in blue color) which kept on flikering slowly for long long time....for more than 30 minutes and did not moved further. Can you please let me know whats could be wrong?
I also tried ICS ROM, but that didn't worked (it failed). So after couple of trail and error, I moved back to A500 ROM update.zip which I knew that is installing successfully.
Can you please let me know what shall be done in case I want update.zip for A501? It will be highly appreciated if you can upload update.zip directly that I can use and that gets installed successfully.
Regards,
Muk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Muk, I can probably guess the ROM you installed doesn't do data wipes and such, so it caused an animation loop.
Try this one. It's an SD ROM, so it "should" wipe your Data, along with installing the ROM.
https://mega.co.nz/#!NZBlBSLQ!mOHICp7gbinkYeHCvrEz7aKXsWQjjquAWq_XC_lSQzk
As you probably discovered, Acer has pretty much removed almost all tablet ROMs. I snagged a few the other day, then checked yesterday, and they removed all from their support site.
I would guess they are getting out of the tablet business.
Also, they shut down their OTA Update servers for a few months now.
Acer A501
mukapril said:
Hi MD,
I have Acer Iconia A501 tablet. My tablet suddenly showed andriod logo with exclamation mark when it was being used. Upon looking at your posts, I found the resolution which I tried. I am not expert in this all, but I tried running your ROM "41-124-01-A500-update" from one of your posts which was actually meant for A500. This resolved the issue successfully and tablet was up and running.
Then further I found full ROM for A501 as mentioned below and thought that I should try the ROM meant for the model of my tablet.
I successfully decrypted the ROM that you mentioned "Acer_A501_1.309.02_4.031.24_COM_GEN1"
When I tried to update it with the mentioned ROM update.zip, it did updated it from SD card and passed android symbol with those gears running. However, when it restarted the tablet by itself, it showed ACER logo and then it showed "ANDROID" (spelling in blue color) which kept on flikering slowly for long long time....for more than 30 minutes and did not moved further. Can you please let me know whats could be wrong?
I also tried ICS ROM, but that didn't worked (it failed). So after couple of trail and error, I moved back to A500 ROM update.zip which I knew that is installing successfully.
Can you please let me know what shall be done in case I want update.zip for A501? It will be highly appreciated if you can upload update.zip directly that I can use and that gets installed successfully.
Regards,
Muk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A big thank you to Moscow. I have tried the above link but still no go.. I have seen on Acer website they have updated the OS but all Android 4.0 ICS and nothing with Honeycomb. The tablet was initially with Honeycomb. Please advice. Thank you and Best Regards.
Trouble installing ROM for A501
jonnybrave said:
A big thank you to Moscow. I have tried the above link but still no go.. I have seen on Acer website they have updated the OS but all Android 4.0 ICS and nothing with Honeycomb. The tablet was initially with Honeycomb. Please advice. Thank you and Best Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi MD,
Thanks for your super fast response. I am downloading the ROM for A501 from the link provided by me. I will update you if it works in my tab.
I forgot to mention you about one message that I received once tablet is restarted. So, once ROM for A501 from SD card has performed its job successfully....that is that android symbol with gears in its tummy is successfully finished and tablet restarts. It shows "Acer" (spelling logo) and then after it gets stuck at "android" (spelling logo). Between these two, it displays two lines messages on top left corner for 2-3 seconds that the "blob is illegal - abort" and then gets stuck at "android" (spelling logo). I think this might be useful for you to identify something.
Another thing about wiping out the data, in starting when we press volume down and power button, it does display message about SD card (still not not sure about whether it might be wiping out the data or not....I believe you might be correct that it might not be wiping out the data).
Another thing, that I found in my backup is that when I purchased this tab (A501), I downloaded HoneyComb 3.2 Kernel Source Code from the Acer support site. Is this something that you can do magic with and provide me with update.zip? Please let me know....if you can do magic with this, then let me know how shall I share it with you.
Regards,
Muk
Trouble installing ROM for A501
Hi MD,
Thanks for your super fast response.
I tried downloading the ROM for A501 from the link provided by you. It downloaded it from the cloud, but at the very end it displayed message "Decryption Error". Still I tried extracting "update.zip" from the zip file, but it displayed message that the archive is corrupt and file is corrupt. Can you please check at your end and provide me with fresh link or directly with update.zip? For your reference I have attached screenshots of errors.
I forgot to mention you about one message that I received once tablet is restarted. So, once ROM for A501 from SD card has performed its job successfully....that is that android symbol with gears in its tummy is successfully finished and tablet restarts. It shows "Acer" (spelling logo) and then after it gets stuck at "android" (spelling logo). Between these two, it displays two lines messages on top left corner for 2-3 seconds that the "blob is illegal - abort" and then gets stuck at "android" (spelling logo). I think this might be useful for you to identify something.
Another thing about wiping out the data, in starting when we press volume down and power button, it does display message about SD card (still not not sure about whether it might be wiping out the data or not....I believe you might be correct that it might not be wiping out the data).
Another thing, that I found in my backup is that when I purchased this tab (A501), I downloaded HoneyComb 3.2 Kernel Source Code from the Acer support site. Is this something that you can do magic with and provide me with update.zip? Please let me know....if you can do magic with this, then let me know how shall I share it with you.
Regards,
Muk
Trouble installing ROM for A501
Hi MD,
Please read my earlier message and then read this one.
Thanks a lot....your answer about my first problem resolved everything.... (your answer was "that the ROM that I am trying to install is not clearing the data"...I verified that the ROM is clearing the cache, but not the user data. I can confidently say that you correctly identified the issue as when the ROM installation was stuck at "android"....I switched off my tablet and tried installing again the old ROM for A500 which I knew that it is working and instead of asking me to configure the tablet (i.e. time zone, date & time setup, etc.) after installation, it simply logged in and started my tablet as usual....that means that when I was trying to install ROM for A501, it was not clearing user data and was then hanging).
Now coming back to the link that you sent me in previous message, I was able to download the zip file successfully in the second attempt. I extracted the update.zip and it did not work. It showed the similar problem of getting stuck at "android". However, with your great answer that you gave me, I cleared the user data and cache manually by pressing vol up + power buttons simultaneously and then when "acer" symbol displays, releasing only power button and turning on and off the lock button. This cleared user data and cache. After that, since update.zip (that you provided) was already in my SD card, it installed the ROM and tablet works perfectly. Thanks a lot....:good:
One question, when it asked me about the zone, it had only few countries like US, UK, etc. I couldn't find Australia...is it because this ROM not for Australia? I understand that this is not an issue, but if you find anything for Australia, do send me.
Another thing, is this HoneyComb 3.2? Will 3G and GPS work in this one?
Do let me know if you can do some magic with HoneyComb 3.2 kernel source code that I have as mentioned earlier.
Regards,
Muk
mukapril said:
Hi MD,
Please read my earlier message and then read this one.
Thanks a lot....your answer about my first problem resolved everything.... (your answer was "that the ROM that I am trying to install is not clearing the data"...I verified that the ROM is clearing the cache, but not the user data. I can confidently say that you correctly identified the issue as when the ROM installation was stuck at "android"....I switched off my tablet and tried installing again the old ROM for A500 which I knew that it is working and instead of asking me to configure the tablet (i.e. time zone, date & time setup, etc.) after installation, it simply logged in and started my tablet as usual....that means that when I was trying to install ROM for A501, it was not clearing user data and was then hanging).
Now coming back to the link that you sent me in previous message, I was able to download the zip file successfully in the second attempt. I extracted the update.zip and it did not work. It showed the similar problem of getting stuck at "android". However, with your great answer that you gave me, I cleared the user data and cache manually by pressing vol up + power buttons simultaneously and then when "acer" symbol displays, releasing only power button and turning on and off the lock button. This cleared user data and cache. After that, since update.zip (that you provided) was already in my SD card, it installed the ROM and tablet works perfectly. Thanks a lot....:good:
One question, when it asked me about the zone, it had only few countries like US, UK, etc. I couldn't find Australia...is it because this ROM not for Australia? I understand that this is not an issue, but if you find anything for Australia, do send me.
Another thing, is this HoneyComb 3.2? Will 3G and GPS work in this one?
Do let me know if you can do some magic with HoneyComb 3.2 kernel source code that I have as mentioned earlier.
Regards,
Muk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm mobile right now, so can't go into big detail.
In your settings, about tablet, you can always find info on which specific OS you have. If you indeed have an A501 and the settings tells you that your tablet is a 501, then your 3g and GPS should function.
The only 2 differences between an A500 and an A501 is of course 3g. Also, they use different GPS radios. So you can install 500 Roms on a 501 and vice versa. Just the above 2 items won't work. Also, I believe I gave you a 3.2.x ROM. Getting it to ICS 4.0.4 may be a problem.
I revived my own 501 last night by putting the motherboard in the oven, but now it doesn't read my ext SD card, so I may be stuck on 3.2. Eh, no problem.
mukapril said:
Hi MD,
Please read my earlier message and then read this one.
Thanks a lot....your answer about my first problem resolved everything.... (your answer was "that the ROM that I am trying to install is not clearing the data"...I verified that the ROM is clearing the cache, but not the user data. I can confidently say that you correctly identified the issue as when the ROM installation was stuck at "android"....I switched off my tablet and tried installing again the old ROM for A500 which I knew that it is working and instead of asking me to configure the tablet (i.e. time zone, date & time setup, etc.) after installation, it simply logged in and started my tablet as usual....that means that when I was trying to install ROM for A501, it was not clearing user data and was then hanging).
Now coming back to the link that you sent me in previous message, I was able to download the zip file successfully in the second attempt. I extracted the update.zip and it did not work. It showed the similar problem of getting stuck at "android". However, with your great answer that you gave me, I cleared the user data and cache manually by pressing vol up + power buttons simultaneously and then when "acer" symbol displays, releasing only power button and turning on and off the lock button. This cleared user data and cache. After that, since update.zip (that you provided) was already in my SD card, it installed the ROM and tablet works perfectly. Thanks a lot....:good:
One question, when it asked me about the zone, it had only few countries like US, UK, etc. I couldn't find Australia...is it because this ROM not for Australia? I understand that this is not an issue, but if you find anything for Australia, do send me.
Another thing, is this HoneyComb 3.2? Will 3G and GPS work in this one?
Do let me know if you can do some magic with HoneyComb 3.2 kernel source code that I have as mentioned earlier.
Regards,
Muk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello mukapril .. may you provide me with the Honeycomb ROM which I might try ?
Thanking you and Best Regards
Trouble installing A501 ROM
Moscow Desire said:
I'm mobile right now, so can't go into big detail.
In your settings, about tablet, you can always find info on which specific OS you have. If you indeed have an A501 and the settings tells you that your tablet is a 501, then your 3g and GPS should function.
The only 2 differences between an A500 and an A501 is of course 3g. Also, they use different GPS radios. So you can install 500 Roms on a 501 and vice versa. Just the above 2 items won't work. Also, I believe I gave you a 3.2.x ROM. Getting it to ICS 4.0.4 may be a problem.
I revived my own 501 last night by putting the motherboard in the oven, but now it doesn't read my ext SD card, so I may be stuck on 3.2. Eh, no problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi MD,
Apologies for very long replies. Wanted to convey the message in detail how I did it so that it might help someone else like me.
Thanks for your response. I have tested it, 3G and GPS is working fine. I believe, before my tab encountered this problem, it was having version 4 which should be ICS. At that stage I didn't had any problem with my tab...I believe it was there for long time.
If you have good known ROM for ICS, please forward me I can try on my tab. If it doesn't work, then will re-install the Honeycomb that you sent earlier.
One more question....when I try to update the system from "About Tablet" in Settings, why it displays message the the "network is poor" and advices to move to better coverage? Though, I am just besides my WiFi modem and coverage is almost 100%.
And @jonnybrave: If you are referring to the ROM that I successfully installed which was sent by MD earlier, then it does not need any decryption. So you can use the link sent by MD earlier in this post. And if you are referring to the KernelSourceCode that I mentioned earleir, then it needs some kind of processing in Linux machine and then you can create some image.....this is was I know about it....sorry not an andrion guru. Please let me know what you are referring to.
Regards,
Mukesh
mukapril said:
One more question....when I try to update the system from "About Tablet" in Settings, why it displays message the the "network is poor" and advices to move to better coverage? Though, I am just besides my WiFi modem and coverage is almost 100%.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You get the message as do all 500/501 owners (it can change depending on version of Rom).
Acer no longer gives updates to any of their devices (regardless of age). These are otherwise known as OTA Updates. So they have closed their update servers, so now we get some "message" that absolutely means nothing.
I suppose Acer is getting out of the Android business and no longer supports anything. Nice job Acer.
As for updating to ICS (or any other version), I have a few update files. Generally though, the update files must be matched to the current version of your tablet. Sometimes you can run a "full update" and it will work.
The problem, is these tablets are getting old, and the nand memory can go bad. Running an update can cause a variety of problems such as "Stuck in APX" mode, stuck at bootloader, stuck at boot animation. Then we have to go back to the EUUS file, or an old SD ROM file. So you run the risk of doing things all over again, and the risk that it just won't work again. (I spent a couple hours last night, and was almost ready to throw it in the garbage)
For example, I'm pretty much stuck at 3.0.x or 3.2.x. I've already disassembled the tablet and put the mainboard in the oven, just to get it back to life! And after numerous attempts to get ICS on it, I've pretty much given up before it hard bricks again. In fact, I can't get a 3.2.x EUUS to work on it, so it is stuck at the 3.0.x ATT EUUS. Eh, it's my little girls tab, so as long as it gets You Tube and browser, it's pretty much ok.
Trouble installing A501 ROM
Hi MD,
I am in the same boat as you...lol...This tablet is mostly used by my daughter and as long as it is solving my daughter's purpose, we are happy
I was just curious about that message as to why that is happenning, but after your clarification, it is clear to me as to why it is happenning.
My tablet is working as normal and everything is working fine...so we are happy with what we have.
Thanks a lot!
Regards,
Muk
---------- Post added at 03:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:48 AM ----------
jonnybrave said:
Hello mukapril .. may you provide me with the Honeycomb ROM which I might try ?
Thanking you and Best Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jonny,
If you are referring to the ROM that I successfully installed which was sent by MD earlier, then it does not need any decryption. So you can use the link sent by MD earlier in this post. And if you are referring to the KernelSourceCode that I mentioned earleir, then it needs some kind of processing in Linux machine and then you can create some image.....this is was I know about it....sorry not an andrion guru. Please let me know what you are referring to.
Regards,
Muk

[HELP] Possibly stuck in APX mode

I'm trying to help this person on reddit but I'm a total noob with the Iconia 500 and after looking at various threads the only conclusion i can come to is APX mode. Could you guys please post a link to the solution or describe them in a noob friendly manner, because I've seen allot of solutions for the APX problem but they're all different, I just wasn't to make sure I find the correct solution for this persons symptoms.
Details-
The Iconia A500 gets to the android logo then nothing.
Attempted update.zip but that doesn't work
Original Reddit post-
Hey, I have an Acer Iconia a500 and it bricked on me. Ive googled the solutions but with no avail. Ive booted in repair mode, ive added an sd card with a new update.zip to the reboot, still nothing. All i get is a little android with an open chest and red exclamation point. Googled the symptoms, but its a really broad subject. I can get it to boot with the SD card for a moment, then a progress bar appears under my dead, open android. The bar doesnt seem to be moving. Im at a loss, could anyone help? Thanks in advance!
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1u7rnk/android_tablet_help/
Lekan Adeyeri said:
I'm trying to help this person on reddit but I'm a total noob with the Iconia 500 and after looking at various threads the only conclusion i can come to is APX mode. Could you guys please post a link to the solution or describe them in a noob friendly manner, because I've seen allot of solutions for the APX problem but they're all different, I just wasn't to make sure I find the correct solution for this persons symptoms.
Details-
The Iconia A500 gets to the android logo then nothing.
Attempted update.zip but that doesn't work
Original Reddit post-
Hey, I have an Acer Iconia a500 and it bricked on me. Ive googled the solutions but with no avail. Ive booted in repair mode, ive added an sd card with a new update.zip to the reboot, still nothing. All i get is a little android with an open chest and red exclamation point. Googled the symptoms, but its a really broad subject. I can get it to boot with the SD card for a moment, then a progress bar appears under my dead, open android. The bar doesnt seem to be moving. Im at a loss, could anyone help? Thanks in advance!
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1u7rnk/android_tablet_help/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No its not stuck in apx mode, just failing to run an update.zip. depends what rom the tab was on and which update.zip was tried.
The solution will require the tabs cpuid so an EUU can be run. If the user does not have a backup of the cpuid and cannot boot into the OS to retrieve it, then it will be no easy fix. Check the cpuid guide in my sig. Linux has to be used unless the user has had the tab connected to his pc at some point then he can use a program called usbdeview to get it. ALL details for these 2 methods are in the cpuid guide.
Once he has the cpuid he can use tge babsector.rar file to reset his tab. This file will install a patched bootloader and custom recovery. All details and download links and instructions are in the root guide in my sig.
He will need full battery charge and a custom ics or jb rom to flash once the babsector.rar file has completed.
As I said this whole process will not be easy. But patience and the ability to follow the steps as they are written will ensure success.
The only thing that may be an issue is if the tab has the dreaded memory chip fault, but babsector.rar file will tell you if this is the case. Acer has recently repaired these faulty tabs even though they were out of warranty.
Good luck
Regards dibb
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[Q] Another A500 frozen on logo Acer...

Hello,
I've been searching for almost 2 weeks in forums how to fix my A500 frozen on logo Acer (following a crash when I was launching a game).
I've tried to boot on these 2 ics roms in recovery mode : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1699277, the install starts and then the Android man falls...
I've tried to flash (flash.dat) in apx and my computers disconnects the tablet...
I've tried to get my cpuid with windows ans ubuntu : didn't work...
Maybe someone here is going to have an idea to help me? There seem to be very competent members, here!
(I hope my english is good enough to make you understand me, sorry if it doesn't look very clear to you, but I'm French)
EASY
If you go to tegraowners forum and read/install one of the recoveries there - in the various topics it will explain how to "really format data-data/media"
From there you will once again be able to install roms etc.
freightyard said:
If you go to tegraowners forum and read/install one of the recoveries there - in the various topics it will explain how to "really format data-data/media"
From there you will once again be able to install roms etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. I went to tegraowners forums and the only post I found about really format data doesn't fit, because my tablet doesn't start properly and I can't go to a menu to choose options, I can only start in recovery mode... (but maybe I didn't watch the right thread, please tell me)
recovery
woukou said:
Thanks for your reply. I went to tegraowners forums and the only post I found about really format data doesn't fit, because my tablet doesn't start properly and I can't go to a menu to choose options, I can only start in recovery mode... (but maybe I didn't watch the right thread, please tell me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what you need the recovery
just get a tegraowners recovery and flash it with your recovery
BTW
what recovery do you have on your tab presently
freightyard said:
that's what you need the recovery
just get a tegraowners recovery and flash it with your recovery
BTW
what recovery do you have on your tab presently
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tablet had no recovery on an sd card (no sd card at all before the crash!), so I've downloaded many different updates since the crash, and it doesn't work. Maybe it was not the good solution, though;.. Which recovery do you advise me to download?
recovery
woukou said:
The tablet had no recovery on an sd card (no sd card at all before the crash!), so I've downloaded many different updates since the crash, and it doesn't work. Maybe it was not the good solution, though;.. Which recovery do you advise me to download?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think maybe you misunderstand what recovery is
It is a low level program that is on an internal partition
you open it by holding volume- while pushing power button
when it opens if it just immediately tries to load from the sd card then it is stock
if it opens with a menu then it should also say somewhere what recovery it is.
It is also somewhat important to know what android you had on the tab and whether it was rooted and what bootloader version.
there is an A500 manager at tegraowners by blackthund3r that will update the bootloader install a recovery and root the tablet.
if it's an official acer rom the afterota will probably help fix it.
barring all that - if you sign up to be a tegraowner member and pm(private message) me I can dropbox you babsector as well.
suggested recovery would be the new twrp or the 1.7.3 cwm recovery
freightyard said:
I think maybe you misunderstand what recovery is
It is a low level program that is on an internal partition
you open it by holding volume- while pushing power button
when it opens if it just immediately tries to load from the sd card then it is stock
if it opens with a menu then it should also say somewhere what recovery it is.
It is also somewhat important to know what android you had on the tab and whether it was rooted and what bootloader version.
there is an A500 manager at tegraowners by blackthund3r that will update the bootloader install a recovery and root the tablet.
if it's an official acer rom the afterota will probably help fix it.
barring all that - if you sign up to be a tegraowner member and pm(private message) me I can dropbox you babsector as well.
suggested recovery would be the new twrp or the 1.7.3 cwm recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for these explanations, you're right , I was confused about all that!
To be clear about what you said : when I push volume- and power, there are a few lines written (erasing... sd car... booting recovery kernel...) then the Android fells down. so it is stock, isn't it?
The tablet wasn't rooted I believe because I never touched anything since I bought it ( october 2011) but I can't find on the box or notice which Android was on it...
But I don't understand your advice (I don't know a lot about tablets + foreign language : forgive me!) : do you advice me to try "an A500 manager at tegraowners by blackthund3r that will update the bootloader" or try "babsector" (don't know what it is...)
By the way I registered on tegraowners just now, as woukou.
Thanks a lot to take time for my problem
recovery
woukou said:
Thank you for these explanations, you're right , I was confused about all that!
To be clear about what you said : when I push volume- and power, there are a few lines written (erasing... sd car... booting recovery kernel...) then the Android fells down. so it is stock, isn't it?
The tablet wasn't rooted I believe because I never touched anything since I bought it ( october 2011) but I can't find on the box or notice which Android was on it...
But I don't understand your advice (I don't know a lot about tablets + foreign language : forgive me!) : do you advice me to try "an A500 manager at tegraowners by blackthund3r that will update the bootloader" or try "babsector" (don't know what it is...)
By the way I registered on tegraowners just now, as woukou.
Thanks a lot to take time for my problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are numerous methods to fix this
first login to tegraowners and pm me with
Did you get updates from acer and install them since you bought the tablet
Do you know if it was Ice Cream Sandwich or Honeycomb running on the tablet
do you have your cpuid or know what it is ?
Is your tablet an Acer A500 ,A501 or something other ?
freightyard said:
There are numerous methods to fix this
first login to tegraowners and pm me with
Did you get updates from acer and install them since you bought the tablet
Do you know if it was Ice Cream Sandwich or Honeycomb running on the tablet
do you have your cpuid or know what it is ?
Is your tablet an Acer A500 ,A501 or something other ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, I can't mp you because "We are sorry, but you are not authorised to use this feature. You may have just registered here and may need to participate more to be able to use this feature. ", maybe you can mp me and I will reply...
But I can answer you here:
- I only had 1 update since I bought the tablet (maybe 1 year ago) and it was the regular Acer update.
- I don't know at all if it was Ice Cream sandwich or Honeycomb on it (bought in october 2011, and I still have the box if it can help...)
- I don't have the cpuid, and I tried yesterday to get it through Windows (when the tablet appears in usb) and through Ubuntu (file called apx.c, etc...) and I didin't work unfortunately...
- My tablet is A500 Iconia tab
I hope that will help...
woukou said:
First, I can't mp you because "We are sorry, but you are not authorised to use this feature. You may have just registered here and may need to participate more to be able to use this feature. ", maybe you can mp me and I will reply...
But I can answer you here:
- I only had 1 update since I bought the tablet (maybe 1 year ago) and it was the regular Acer update.
- I don't know at all if it was Ice Cream sandwich or Honeycomb on it (bought in october 2011, and I still have the box if it can help...)
- I don't have the cpuid, and I tried yesterday to get it through Windows (when the tablet appears in usb) and through Ubuntu (file called apx.c, etc...) and I didin't work unfortunately...
- My tablet is A500 Iconia tab
I hope that will help...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
without the cpuid there is little you can do
try reading through and running this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26618772&postcount=1
freightyard said:
without the cpuid there is little you can do
try reading through and running this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26618772&postcount=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to read it, thanks!
freightyard said:
without the cpuid there is little you can do
try reading through and running this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26618772&postcount=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I read the whole page, I downloaded the 2 files (1 big-1 tiny) and I guess I'm stupid, because I don't know how to use them...
Could someone help me? Thanks!
woukou said:
Hello,
I read the whole page, I downloaded the 2 files (1 big-1 tiny) and I guess I'm stupid, because I don't know how to use them...
Could someone help me? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like your in a similar situation to me.
IF your any good with Linux read up here to get your CPUID http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1751978
then your 1 step closer.
follow my thread here as well for things to read & try http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2729674
.
Still bricked...
Hello,
It's beeen a long time ( lot of work and not many time to spend on the tablet...) but I did try all tips you gave me, and I realize I can't go any further without that CPUID!
I tried methods to get CPUID that are described on this post :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25429111#post25429111
- With A500 manager : my PC sees my connected "in APX" tablet, but it doesn't want to give me a serial number...
- With usb deview I can get the snid (that is also on the box) and that is only 11 characters...
- With Ubuntu : the PC doesn't recognize the tablet at all (normal or APX mode)
- Methods 4, 6 and 7 won't work because my tablet is stuck on Acer logo
And I have no idea how to use methods 2 and 5 (sorry...)
Are there any other methods to try with my PC (Windows 7- X64)
Can someone help me? I'm crazy about that tablet that starts but doesn't work!
Thanks in advance if you can!
Tried these too:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2755126
Nothing...
Hurra! and Noooo
Hello,
I managed to bring my tablet to life! (with getting my cpuid with Ubuntu and updating with EUU)
BUT now I want to get a real update and I can't! When I launch it, the tablet says "you wifi is too unstable, try later" I tried at a neighbour's, and it's the same : it comes from the tablet!
What would you suggest?
woukou said:
Hello,
I managed to bring my tablet to life! (with getting my cpuid with Ubuntu and updating with EUU)
BUT now I want to get a real update and I can't! When I launch it, the tablet says "you wifi is too unstable, try later" I tried at a neighbour's, and it's the same : it comes from the tablet!
What would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for info, it seems Acer has shut down it's update servers. I have an a501 (recently bricked forever), and an A701. Neither can get updates. Usually, I get the message "Network coverage is poor, try a different location". So it seems these are messages generated from the tablet. More than likely as a triggered response from their old servers.
I'm on direct wifi
Also, acer has been deleting their available update ROMs from their support servers. I grabbed some a couple days ago, and now today they are gone!
Pretty sure Acer is getting out of the tablet business, or at least they act like it.
Ok thanks for the information, it's not only my tablet that can't update!
But, what do you think would be the best (and most simple!) solution to run ICS like it used to do?
Every link I found to get an update for 3.0.1 are dead...
I'm not a specialist, and all tutorials for rooting and install ICS (rom or custopm) seem complicated and risky!
Thanks in advance for your advice
woukou said:
Ok thanks for the information, it's not only my tablet that can't update!
But, what do you think would be the best (and most simple!) solution to run ICS like it used to do?
Every link I found to get an update for 3.0.1 are dead...
I'm not a specialist, and all tutorials for rooting and install ICS (rom or custopm) seem complicated and risky!
Thanks in advance for your advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, there are a couple of methods to update manually. The key, is getting the correct match of 3.x.x to 4.x.x. Sometimes the ICS updates will use a "patch" install, and it's very specific to which current ROM is installed.
Tell you what, remind me again which tablet (500 or 501) you have, and I'll take a look at what I have on my own servers, and maybe we can get you upgraded manually. Pretty simple really.
Moscow Desire said:
Well, there are a couple of methods to update manually. The key, is getting the correct match of 3.x.x to 4.x.x. Sometimes the ICS updates will use a "patch" install, and it's very specific to which current ROM is installed.
Tell you what, remind me again which tablet (500 or 501) you have, and I'll take a look at what I have on my own servers, and maybe we can get you upgraded manually. Pretty simple really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
I tell you all what I know and can read on the tablet:
Acer Iconia tab A50016GB Wifi
Android version 3.0.1
Kernel version 2.6.36.3-00001-gf991e5d
Build number ACER_A500_1.016.05_COM_GEN1
I hope it's enough, thanks again!
woukou said:
Thanks!
I tell you all what I know and can read on the tablet:
Acer Iconia tab A50016GB Wifi
Android version 3.0.1
Kernel version 2.6.36.3-00001-gf991e5d
Build number ACER_A500_1.016.05_COM_GEN1
I hope it's enough, thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try those full ICS updates in the first thread of this forum. I believe they are full a500 ICS updates. There are 4 of them, and you may have to try them all. One of them may work. Not sure if they will update from 3.0.1 though.
I'm mobile right now, and can't personally check them.

Return A501 to correct ICS rom, from A500 ICS loaded to fix bootloop...

So, I received an Acer A501 that was stuck in boot animation loop...
The ONLY way I could get it to take an update.zip was to use an A500 ICS one.
Now I can boot the tab fully, and I've rooted it and installed Acer Recovery Installer, then installed all kinds of custom recoveries, but NONE OF THEM WILL LOAD AN A501 ICS update.zip...
They all fail with an error 7 where the file's device designation doesn't match the designation of my tab because I'm running an A500 rom instead of the A501 I desperately want to run...
How do I get over this ?
All I want is a totally stock WORKING A501 ICS...I've been working on this for about 30 hours straight now, and can't get it. I cruise this board quite a bit, but rarely post as I'm not a developer, nor a programmer, and as a user, I actually do try my best to read, read, read and work it out for myself, but this has been the worst experience of the approximately 10 devices I've "fixed"...the information is so shattered and spread around its been impossible for me to figure this out on my own.
I'm pretty sure there's a stock EUU in blackthund3rs sticky in the dev forum.
I can't remember, but I don't think you can flash an update.zip via twrp or cwm.
Use power volume down buttons and make sure the update.zip is no named update.zip.zip or Update.zip.
There were issues with Acer recovery installer - you might wanna use fastboot or apxflash tool...
The other failsafe method for returning to stock is using an EUU via cpuid/sbk.
ALL the info and links you need are provided in the stickys, or see the root guide in my sig...if links are not working pls let me know
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
I do appreciate the reply. Thank you.
I gave up, the device is going to stay thinking its a 500, getting it back to a WORKING 501 was far more difficult that it should have been...and yes, virtually all links are dead and gone, I ran across more dead links than live ones, and never did see a 501 ICS EUU(whatever that is, no one ever defined the term EUU anywhere I could find...).
PS: Virtually everything I found deals with the 500, not the 501, and while the roms may work between the two devices, the 501 is definitely a different device. Losing the 3G and GPS was disappointing, but didn't really impact the practical functionality of this *particular* 501.
PSS: Also, virtually all info dealt with HC, and this 501 was already on ICS when I got it, getting it back to HC was something I couldn't accomplish, every time I tried, it left the device boot looped and useless...
An EUU is the Acer updating tool, it wipes your data and as I said, you do need your cpuid/sbk, and the Acer and usb drivers. Connect to your pc and run the file.
Here's a link to ics 501
http://d-h.st/Dgf
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

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