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In the process of updating information for ICS update and custom ROMs, please hold tight!
A lot of folks have been coming in with newly purchased TF101's lately, which is AWESOME, it means the community will go on longer than the expected life of the device probably, since the TF201 and TF700 have come out and are seeking to replace our beloved TF, this is good news that people still buy the OG Transformer.
That said, there have been the same problems posted by new users, over and over, and sure there are guides for just about everything. But why not one on..just...EVERYTHING?
Here we go, troubleshoot problems and learn your device, the noob way! The EPIC TF101 THREAD BEGINS!
All the typical disclaimers apply, if you mess your stuff up, it is your fault not mine. I did not discover any of these methods, develop any of these tools, or do anything else but compile it all in one epic post. This should be everything you need to know as a noob, I do not take credit for anything, except for making it all easily accessible to those who are unwilling/unable to spend the hours searching that I did. In other words, I did a lot of work for you, but others had done the work for me first. Full credit to them.
What is ROOTING? And why do it?
So you bought a new TF, and you want to root it? Or you want to know what rooting is, for that matter? Rooting is a method of obtaining what is called 'Root Access' to your device, giving you control of it. The 'Root' is the parent directory of your device's internal memory, where the system files are stored. Generally this is kept from your access, you will need to get your device 'rooted' in order to change the system. Once rooted, you will have an app installed called 'Superuser' which will selectively grant applications permission to alter or access your root directory. This method differs on every device, but don't worry- we have a very easy device to root.
VERY IMPORTANT! Do NOT use any of the tools here WHILE YOUR DOCK IS PLUGGED IN!! All these are for use with the TF101 unit BY ITSELF! Please don't brick your device or mess something up by trying it with the dock plugged in!
There have traditionally been several ways to accomplish this for our device, as new applications and tools are developed to make it easier it has gotten to be a very simple process. Which method you use will depend on what SBK version (Secure Boot Key) Transformer you have, and also that model's firmware version. Your firmware version can be located by going to Settings>About Tablet. Current version is 8.6.5.21 (TF101) or 8.6.6.23 (TF101G). When either firmware version (also referred to as the 'stock ROM' sometimes) can be used, it will be listed similar to '8.6.x.19', where x can be 5 or 6 for TF101 or TF101G, respectively.
KNOW YOUR SBK VERSION
As a TF owner looking to mod your device, you need to know that there are multiple SBK versions, primarily SBK1 and SBK2. There may possibly be other versions to come even. All you need to know is, that as of right now, SBK1 is the only model that can utilize a tool called NVFlash to UNBRICK your device if you mess it up too badly, and it is difficult to tell which SBK version you have. In order to find out, there are a few tools out there- one of them is for mac only, called SBKDetect found here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1232612
Another is primarily for Linux, but saavy Windows users can always boot from a Linux live CD on their machines to use it, called SBKDetect v2, here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1290503
The other way, if you are like me, and don't have Linux-abilities at the time of this writing (I'm working on that), you can always just GO FOR IT and try to flash a modded ROM via NVFlash. If you are SBK1 it will succeed. If not, it will fail. No harm done. Of course that means skipping ahead of a lot of learning first, so it is not advised IMO. It also means that if you DO have an SBK1 tablet, you just wiped all your data. It is not absolutely necessary to determine which SBK you have in order to root and mod your device.
A hit-or-miss way of detecting your SBK version is by looking at your device's serial number, located on the bottom of the device on a sticker. It will take the form of:
B70KAS638075
The ONLY digits you need to know are the FIRST THREE. Older models are SBK1. Manufacturing started at Bxx, and has gone to Cxx this year. All Cxx serial numbers will be SBK2. In fact it was in the middle of the B70 manufacturing that they changed the SBK version, so if you are B60, B50, B40 etc..you are sure to be SBK1. If you are B80, B90, C10, etc, you are sure to be SBK2. B70 owners, it's a coin toss. You must use one of the other methods to determine it.
The only thing that differs between SBK1 tablets and SBK2 tablets is the use of NVFlash. SBK2 cannot use NVFlash, so if you end up botching both your recovery and your ROM, and cannot boot into either, then you are SCREWED, so I would suggest reading everything before attempting to mod your device if you are an SBK2 owner.
NVFlash and APX mode
This was an early method used to root and flash recovery/roms, and is still a very useful application to have saved on a disk somewhere in the event that you own an SBK1, as it renders your tablet practically unbrickable. It can be found here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1123429
To use it you must enter APX mode on your TF101. This is tricky and confuses many users. The procedure is;
1. Press and hold volume UP and POWER buttons at the same time (it doesn't matter if the TF101 is on or off, if it is on, simply wait until it shuts off before proceding).
2. HOLD these buttons for approximately SIX SECONDS.
3. Plug TF101 into PC and listen for it to chime that it has detected it, it should load drivers and device will be listed in Right Cick>Computer/Properties/Device Manager/USB Universal Serial Bus Controller (or similar) as NVIDIA, not as ASUS.
4. If it does not, power on the TF and try again until it does.
NOTE: This is the only way to know if it is in APX mode as the screen remains powered off completely.
Once in APX mode now you can use NVFlash tool, place the system, boot, and recovery .img files into the root of the folder you extract NVFlash into and execute the download.bat file. If at any point the flash fails, this likely means you are SBK2.
ADB Mode
This stands for Android Debugging Bridge. This is not to be confused with APX mode, which is a separate thing entirely. To learn more about your device's ADB mode, see this excellent thread here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1071584
Another quick guide for ADB can be found here:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-hacks/6865-how-use-adb-all-commands-options.html
(sorry for the off-site link, trying to keep it as xda pure as possible!)
Razorclaw Root Tool
Razorclaw is by far my favorite method of rooting for the TF, it can be found here;
http://androidroot.mobi/2011/11/14/introducing-razorclaw-v1/
It does not matter what SBK version you have to use Razorclaw, that is why I prefer this method of rooting.. HOWEVER, it does require you to be using an older firmware version though. If you are on version 8.6.x.21 or above, you cannot use razorclaw. It works best on firmware 8.6.x.19. You simply install the app and follow the instructions (Root me nao!). It is a one click, native rooting tool.
If you are not on this firmware version and razorclaw will not work, there are options. You can either roll back your firmware version, the method is located here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1417006
If you are unsuccessful or want to try another way, you can use Nachoroot or ViperMOD.
Nachoroot Root Tool
This is one of the newer root tools, it is for all firmwares and all SBK versions, and can be found here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1427838
Nachoroot uses the ADB (Android Debugging Bridge) via a command prompt or terminal, all necessary drivers must be installed.
I cannot personally get this method to work because my PC will not install the drivers properly, and since I don't need the tool any longer, I must admit I've never used it, thus my bias towards Razorclaw. So, if you are having similar driver issues, rolling back firmware and using RC might be quicker and more painless.
ViperMOD Root Tool
ViperMOD is another method, similar to and related to Nachoroot, in that it uses the PC to root your TF101 and will need the appropriate drivers installed. The main difference being that this method will install Superuser as well. The other major difference is that while Nachoroot is done with a command dialogue, ViperMOD is done with a much simpler command interface (choose a number from a list of options rather than typing out commands). Interestingly enough, both of these methods work on both the TF101 and the TF201, and both methods appeared about the same time (posted on January 4th 2012). ViperMOD and Nachoroot represent the most recent methods for gaining root on the TF101. ViperMOD is unique that it has a feature to unroot your device as well, though you will need to have the stock ROM and recovery files available to completely return to stock. Find out more about ViperMOD here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1427125
I also cannot attest to the use of ViperMOD personally, I have used other methods, but many users have reported it quite simple to root with.
A quick breakdown;
Razorclaw, Nachoroot and ViperMOD will ONLY ROOT your device. No data will be wiped and you will have to install recovery later. In the case of Nachoroot, you will have to download superuser from the market, Razorclaw and ViperMOD installs it for you.
NVFlash WILL WIPE EVERYTHING! So understand that it will rewrite your TF101 internal memory competely and install a rooted ROM (or whatever you tell it to) on your device, as well as a boot and recovery image.
REGARDLESS OF THE ROOTING METHOD YOU CHOOSE, PLEASE READ THAT METHOD'S INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY!!!
[Q]How do I know if I am rooted?
[A] Simply check within your app drawer for the superuser application (or download it from the market if using Nachoroot), to verify it works, download titanium backup and begin a batch backup and see if it asks permission, and if the batch completes. If you are not rooted, either try your first method again or try an alternate method.
Tip: Immediately after rooting you should back up your system with Titanium Backup, skip ahead to that section to learn how before moving on.
Recovery Mode
The stock recovery mode on the TF101 shows one of two screens; a green android in the middle of the screen with gears turning inside it, or the same android with a yellow triangle with an (!) inside it instead. The gears obviously mean it is working (flashing firmware), the (!) means something has gone wrong (no file found, flash failed). To enter recovery mode, you need to press and HOLD Volume DOWN and POWER when the device is powered OFF. As soon as the screen comes on, RELEASE THE POWER BUT HOLD THE VOLUME STILL. You will see white letters appear in the upper left corner of the screen, it is now okay to release the Volume DOWN button and quickly (within 5 seconds) press the Volume UP button to enter recovery mode. There are also applications, such as Reboot to Recovery, available on the market, that will allow you to reboot your device with one click into recovery mode without having to toggle your power/volume buttons.
About Stock Recovery Mode
The stock recovery mode is absolutely required to install official Asus OTA (Over The Air) updates. Unless your device is unrooted with a stock recovery mode, you will not be able to install any OTA updates, this includes ICS!! It can also be used to install (or RE-install if it were) your STOCK ROM (only official, digitally signed files will be accepted by the stock recovery to flash over the firmware, no modded roms will work). The method for doing this is outlined in the link for rolling back your firmware version above but I will summarize;
Recovery mode searches your external SD card ROOT DIRECTORY(and the internal memory's cache directory, but this is not useful for any practical reason for you) for these Asus files. The files must be named either;
EP101_SDUPDATE.zip
or
XX_user-epad-Z.Z.Z.ZZ.zip (X = firmware region stamp, WW, US, DE, etc, and Z - firmware version, 8.6.5.19, 8.6.6.21 etc)
I personally find the second configuration to work best. If stock recovery finds a file named appropriately and signed with the proper digital signature it will install it, and you will see gears turning. Otherwise; (!). Remember, it has to be on the SD card in the ROOT, not in a folder or it won't find it.
CWM Recovery Mode
ClockWorkMod Recovery mode replaces your stock android recovery mode, and gives you control of;
Flashing (installing) ROMs, recovery, themes and app packs, patches, kernels and more
Wiping cache, dalvik cache, system, data, etc
Backup and Restore features
Advanced features you probably won't need like fixing permissions and mounting partitions etc.
The important thing to know is if you want to be able to change ROMs right from your device, you need this. In order to install it on the TF, you can use an app called RecoveryInstaller, located here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1346180
It is a one-click app just like Razorclaw, download and a single click will install CWM for you, though it may be an older version it will work fine to install the most recent version, directly from CWM once you enter it the first time. You will need to give it superuser permission as well. The newest CWM for the TF101 is called ROGUE XM and it is available here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1446019
Simply place the newest version on your SD card where you can find it, and use the 'install from SD card' option to navigate to the new version file and select it, which will flash the recovery..then you will need to reboot.
CWM Recovery can also be installed when flashing your device from NVFlash, and the NVFlash versions of ROMs almost always contain the most recent versions of the CWM recovery as well, thus making an NVFlash a one-step procedure (flashes both ROM and recovery at same time). The risk of the one-step procedure is if you are using corrupted images or something unexpected occurs you may end up BOTCHING both recovery and ROM at the same time..of course- if you are SBK1 anyways, just reflash it with a different ROM and it will be fixed.
Once you have installed the latest CWM recovery now you will want to start flashing ROMs and Kernels. I will not be posting links to the custom ROMs and Kernels because there are too many of them, that will be your homework.
Custom ROMs
We are blessed to have some great devs working on our humble TF101. That said, the procedure to flash a ROM through CWM is simple;
1: Download desired ROM and place into your external SD card somewhere you will be able to find it, it doesn't matter.
2: Boot into recovery and go to Backup and Restore and make a backup file. This is commonly referred to as a 'Nandroid' backup, and will backup everything from your ROM to your Kernel to user files.
3: Once backed up, proceed to factory reset and wipe cache partition and dalvik cache, located in the 'advanced' menu.
4: Install from SD card, navigate to your directory and find your ROM (ONLY FLASH THINGS THAT ARE MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TF101! Be sure it is compatible with your device!) and select it, scroll to yes...read and follow instructions. Tapdance and sing ABC's while making some breakfast- and you are done!
5: Reboot device
Please be sure to flash only files that are meant to be flashed via CWM, as some ROMs will also have an NVFlash version, which will not work in CWM.
The Stock ROM currently provided with the TF101 is Android 3.2.1, which is called Honeycomb (HC) which is exclusively for tablets, we are all awaiting the release of Android 4.0 commonly known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) which will merge the operating systems used on phones and tablets. Asus has said it will be out soon, so don't ask when it is coming! To learn more about the different Android versions, read this;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history
I would suggest also to anyone wanting to modify their Android device to understand the history of Android itself and what it is, here;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
Kernels
The kernel is the underbelly, the brain of the ROM. The kernel is what tells the hardware what to do when you interact with the software of the ROM. Most ROMs, I dare say almost every ROM unless specifically noted, does NOT come with it's own kernel but uses the kernel you have installed now on the device, unless it is a stock ROM, in which case most of them DO have kernels included. You want to be sure if what you are flashing has a kernel included or not, and you can always go back to another kernel version if you like, but understand that the OS will behave differently with different kernels. For example, if you wish to enable certain functions at the kernel-level, like overclocking, voodoo sound, etc, then you have to flash a customized kernel.
If you flash a custom kernel, then report your bugs to the developer of the kernel, not the ROM, as most bugs are produced by the kernel.
The procedure to flash a kernel is the same as with flashing a ROM, though you need not factory restore your device before installing, although every developer will agree that it is probably best to have what is called a 'clean install', where you would factory reset the device, flash your ROM, and flash your Kernel, and then restore your apps and information. How do you do that you say?
Titanium Backup
Titanium Backup is an app that is pretty self explainitory- it backs up all system files, data (this includes contacts, settings, call logs, etc) user apps, basically saves your state ON TOP of your ROM, where as the CWM Backup (commonly called a 'Nandroid') is the FULL ROM, Titanium Backup will only restore your settings and apps ON TOP of the ROM once installed. Therefore, you can backup all apps, safely factory reset. Install a clean ROM and Kernel together and then restore your data on top of them. This keeps your user files from either being accidentally overwritten or otherwise interfering with the installation of the ROM/Kernel whatever else you wish to flash.
IF YOU SKIPPED AHEAD READ THIS
Titanium Backup can be found on the market for free, if you like it, buy the paid version.
To backup and restore, simply press the settings softkey and choose 'batch' and select the appropriate action with caution. Press the 'RUN' button for the action of your choice and you will be prompted with a checklist of apps and data to run the batch on. Select which files you want or select all if it is your first time using the app and confirm the action. You will need to give Titanium Backup Superuser permission and make sure you have 'Unknown Sources' checked as well as 'Debugging Mode' checked in your settings/applications menu.
Ok, now go back to 'Recovery Mode' section and keep reading..
Also understand that if you are moving from a version that you have backed up in which apps will not be useable in the version you are moving to, the will not work either. For example, if you flash an ICS ROM and then save the ICS-only apps with titanium backup, and then try to move back to honeycomb or gingerbread (if you have a phone like I do) these apps will likely not install or if they do will FC (force close) constantly. Similar things can happen with user data, call logs from one dailer might not be compatible with an older version etc, so expect there to be instances where you have to selectively install apps one at a time to see if it causes bugs, testing the device for buggs, and uninstalling the app/data before proceding with your restore if it does.
Return to Stock
EDIT: While the below represents a review of how we used to unroot, I have now learned that merely flashing the stock ROM provided by Asus on their website will flash the recovery as well, and that there is a minor difference between the recovery img that came on the device stock versus the recovery img that comes loaded in the Asus firmware packages. If nothing else, the graphics are different, but I suspect that there could be other changes as well. To best unroot the device, simply watch and follow the video in the link.
Outdated info;
So, you played around, and you decided it was time to go back stock for that update, or maybe you just liked it better, or you wanted to give it to your grandma but knew Revolver was above her head- whatever the reason, you want to start fresh. The procedure requires you to get the Stock recovery image and a stock ROM. Luckily the stock ROMs are available on Asus' website, the recovery image isn't as easy to find, it is located here;
http://theunlockr.com/2011/11/28/how-to-unroot-and-remove-cwm-recovery-on-asus-transformer/
(Note: The recovery file is not region-specific, therefore it does not matter what version TF101 you have, it is one of the few 'universal' files for this device.
CAUTION: Unrooting with this procedure will only rewrite your system files on the system partition, if you have files located in your root directory that are user-created files that are not part of the system, these files will remain after unrooting, though you will not be able to view them as they are in the root directory, if you root the device again they will be visible. If selling your device or returning for an exchange and you are unrooting it, make sure to manually delete any files/folders that you created in your root directory and do a factory restore with CWM before flashing over your recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Procedure:
Click HERE to watch my UNROOTING How-to video.
There should also be a distinction made here between unrooting and breaking root access, while breaking root access will prevent you from having root access to your device, it does not return your device to stock. For example, deleting your superuser application and su binary files can 'break your root' as it is referred to. Yet, in order to effectively unroot your device, you should return the device to it's 100% stock configuration. If you are giving the tab to your grandma or little sister, breaking root is probably enough. If you want to return the device or sell it on XDA, you should probably return to stock completely.
Now that you have read all of this (hopefully) here is the shortcut you wished you had;
My HOW TO ROOT video (Part one)
So, now you are a BUTTFLIPPIN' PRO, you can root, you can flash recovery mode, ROMs, even Kernels, and you can flash stock files from your SD card so you can unroot and return to stock if you want. What if something goes wrong? What if you want to expand your knowledge?
Well this is what we all fear, this section will attempt to address possible outcomes of bad flashes, corrupt ROM images, bad recovery images, etc. as well as help you diagnose your problem and determine whether you need an RMA or to ask for help in the forum.
[Q] My screen won't come on! Help!
[A] In order to determine what the problem is, first try to power on normally, if that does not work try to power on with the USB device plugged into a PC, if you hear it connect you unfortuntely likely have a screen malfunction. If not, try to enter APX mode and listen for notification of connecting to your PC, if still no notification, try charging your tablet overnight and see if it is over-discharged, mine did this once and scared the CRAP out of me, I thought it was bricked, after 10 minutes of fooing with it a battery warning finally popped onto the screen for 1 second before shutting off again. Repeat the previous steps after 24 hours of charging (if TF does not power on on its' own). If none of these solutions work, try powering on and listening for the camera to 'click', if you do not hear this, then it is very likely you have a brick or malfunctioning device.
[Q] My dock drains very fast..why?
[A] This is a problem with old firmware and certain docks. The docks themselves were manufactured with hardware that prevents the updated firmware from being installed in the dock itself, which results in being unable to change the battery consumption configuration. The dock was originally designed to keep the TF awake so that a quick key press would wake it easily, but this resulted in battery drain, when Asus updated the firmware they realized some docks simply needed to be RMA'd. To test yours;
1. Make sure you are updated to the latest firmware for the dock (in Settings?About Tablet), latest firmware is EP101-0213.
2. In Settings>Screen make sure "MobileDock Battery saving mode" is checked.
3. Press the power button on the TF101 to turn the screen off, then press a key on the keyboard (not the mouse buttons).
If any key wakes the TF, then you have the defective dock and must be RMA'd. However if it does not wake, and you still have severe drain, try to resolve it by shutting off background services and checking to see if drain is bad without the dock as well. If it is still draining, as mine has done previously, contact Asus for an RMA.
[Q] My dock is making a strange squealing sound??
[A] Yes, I received one that did this myself, and returned it to the store I purchased it. As far as I could tell it only presented an annoyance, but others reported the issue and suspected that it might have been connected with some people's battery drain issue, so I returned mine as you probably should as well.
[Q] My screen has light bleeding around the edges..is this common?
[A] Unfortunately, yes, light bleed on these devices is far too common. You can try to return the device and get a better one, depending on the severity of the light bleed, and unfortunately it seems every device has it's quirks, you may end up with one that doesn't have much light bleed but has another problem..
[Q] My case creaks, is this normal?
[A] Yes, unfortunately, the plastic backplate has notches that are supposed to affix into the bezel, and sometimes these come loose. However, some people have reported being able to 'snap' it into place again within the bezel, others had to remove the bezel and backplate partially to resolve the issue- others just ignore it as it is only cosmetic.
[Q] My Transformer won't charge! Help!
[A] There could be a few reasons for this experience- the connector is a proprietary connector, and the wires inside can be easily tangled and snapped according to user experience- to verify that the cable works try plugging the device while powered on into the PC and listen for audio confirmation. If your cable is working, but the tablet doesn't seem to charge, you can try to plug in the dock to see if the led on it lights up (unfortunately the TF unit has no charging indicator except for when powered on). The charging adapter itself sometimes has connection problems inside it, and some users have reported success in simply enclosing the charger in a ziplock bag and placing it in the freezer for several hours. I don't know why this works for some, but it does. If it doesn't for you, however, you may need to order a new power adapter from Asus, or you can make your own here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1087321
[Q] My TF keeps booting and booting but never loads into my ROM..
[A] This is called a 'bootloop', and depending on how far it loads can tell you the severity of the boot loop. First thing to do, is to attempt to boot into recovery. Unless you have an SBK1 tab, this is going to be the only way you will be able to stop this. If not, you have a soft-brick. Eee Pad logo loads and reboots after this, then you have a problem with the ROM itself not wanting to boot (corrupt image, files missing, etc), and usually reflashing your previous ROM without wiping will cure the issue. Sometimes the issue is within the ROM, settings that lock up your device while initializing. If it makes it to the boot animation and reloads, there is a possibility that it is a setting within a kernel if you have a custom kernel installed, try another one, if you aren't running a custom kernel it could be user settings and a factory restore may resolve the issue, and if that fails try another ROM. If the TF will not go into recovery mode and reboots within 5-10 seconds from powering on, you might have a major problem with your system in which case only NVFlash is likely to help.
[Q] I keep getting FC's and bugs..(OR) Do I need to wipe to install...?
[A] Making sure you wipe the correct partitions before you flash new software is vital to making sure it functions properly. This is your necessary wiping procedure, although always best to have a clean install as previously stated;
Nature of the flash| Wipe cache? Wipe Dalvik? Factory Reset?
Clean ROM Flash = YES YES YES
Kernel Flash = YES YES NO
App Pack Flash = YES YES NO
Theme Flash = YES NO NO
ROM Re-flash = NO NO NO
Recovery Flash = NO NO NO
Nandroid Restore = NO NO NO
(Will work on getting this more graphlike after dinner )
Of course always better safe than sorry, and unless you are trying to preserve user apps and data while flashing a kernel or theme then it is always best to reinstall everything after a clean wipe to avoid orphan files and other messy possible errors.
[Q] I can't get into recovery! Help!
[A] The only time you really need to start worrying about not being able to get into recovery is if your ROM also will not load, and vice versa. Since you can simply use the RecoveryInstaller app to fix your broken recovery, similarly if your TF will boot into recovery mode but NOT into the ROM you simply flash (or re-flash) your previous ROM to restore your OS. For this reason, when wishing to update BOTH ROM and recovery, DO NOT FLASH BOTH AT ONCE WITHOUT CONFIRMING THE FIRST FLASH WORKED!
My general rule is to flash my recovery mode first, and then flash my ROM, this is true whether going forward in versions or rolling back to older versions. This way, as soon as you are done flashing and restart (simply holding Volume DOWN as it reboots on its own is enough to initiate recovery mode, be sure to then press Volume UP), you will know if your flash was a success and can rest easy as you flash your ROM, if done the other way around you have to boot into your OS to confirm the flash worked and then reboot back into recovery. If your recovery flash fails, simply allow the OS to load, load recovery installer again and try again.
In the case in which your ROM or recovery will not load, again, your only hope is that you are an SBK1 device and can restore your device via NVFlash.
[Q] Help! My buttons (volume, power) don't work!
[A] Unfortunately this has been discussed quite a bit, sometimes it is related to poor manufacturing, or user damage, or even a poor RMA service. In this case you have only two options- you can try to RMA it, or you can try to tear down the TF101 yourself to try and repair it. It isn't advisable if you can get it repaired under warranty, but if not, you can find discussion with photos of a teardown of the unit here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1109928
[Q] How do I edit the files in my root directory?
[A] The File Explorer app provided by Asus by design will not allow you to access the root directory, you must use an app, like Root Explorer. In order to change or delete files directly from this app, you will need to make sure the root is mounted as R/W (readable/writeable) as opposed to R/O (Read Only), there will be an option to 'mount R/W' if it is mounted currently as R/O, and vice versa.
[Q] How do I remove Asus' Pre-Installed apps (Bloatware)?
[A]While you can simply delete the app file with your Root Explorer, this may not delete all user data. You could download a tool called Root Uninstaller from the Android Market, or you can use the functions in Titanium Backup to run batch uninstalls, or just 'deselect all' and delete one at a time.
[Q] How do I get back my Asus or Google apps after flashing a modded ROM?
[A]GApps and Asus apps generally are not included with many custom ROMs for copyright reasons, but GApps can be found here;
http://goo-inside.me/gapps/
Asus apps can be found in Gnufabios' package 'Asus Removed Apps' that can be acquired through his Revolver Parts package if you are running that ROM, or can be downloaded here if not;
http://www.gnufabio.com/revolver/dls/
Or you can always make a Titanum Backup of your valued system apps before you flash your ROM. You can then do what I do, find the Titanium Backup folder on your internal and rename it 'TitaniumBackupStockApps' and move it to your SD card, then backup your user apps, rename THAT folder 'TitaniumBackupUserApps' (you may even want to date it or name which ROM it came from, this is your choice), and remove that from your internal memory. You could then do the same with user data, if you decide to do that separately. To flash them back, simply replace the folder and rename it to the 'TitaniumBackup' as it was originally, or, if the folder already exists you can simply copy over the contents, run the batch, then delete the contents and copy the user data contents over as well. This is a great way to keep your apps and data organized and backed up safely. You should make sure this stays up to date and delete old backups after 2 to 3 iterations.
[Q] Can I run Linux?
[A] Yes, look here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1364095
[Q] How do I install themes?
[A] Depending on the ROM and Launcher you are using, some of the theming options can be built in and accessed in settings menus inside the Android UI (User Interface). However, there are other themes that change files within your root directories and these files will generally need to be installed either via CWM or via ADB. The themes' developer should have clear instructions on installing it.
One more reserved.. This one is for my thank-yous and anything else I miss guys
Roach2010, mike1986, gnufabio, xboxfanj, blades, Clemsyn, baseballfaz, danzano, paulburton, kaijura, daoist, supercurio, MrNago, jcarrz1, rayman84, lilstevie, rburrow, solarnz, fonix232, daxtsu, dipje, frankc123, Sharpe351, chatch15117 ,K900 ,earthbound, AproSamurai, TOO MANY TO REMEMBER YOU ALL!!
You guys are why I am able to do what I do now..
Mods: Stickie this!!!!
This is great! Have my tf a month and had to search all over to root/rom/etc.wish I'd had this info
Great help for us tf noobs.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Thanks for taking the time to write this up!
Absolute champ!
nice one..thanks mate
Get work this is a must have guide
Sent from my EVO Titan 3D
Fantastic! Having current info all in one place is rare, especially on "older" devices.
Edit: Maybe add a section or note about ViperMOD
Nice job Luna.
+1 on the vipermod. That is what I used and it was extremy simple.
ViperMOD..the one thing I have no experience in on this device it seems; I did a crash course, seems it was actually based right off of Nachoroot, just a cleaned up command prompt interface, and interestingly works on TF101 and TF201. Perhaps that is why I never used it- the post is located in the Prime forum section
Added to OP, guys help me check for accuracy, and correct me if I get anything confused.
Next have some few things to polish up in my thank-yous and try not to leave anyone slighted. Also, thinking of a few more common problems to add to post two. Anything not addressed here just comment or PM me about it I will amend these posts.
THANKS!
Hi Luna
I tried to follow the Return to Stock instructions you listed but there seems to be some problems.
I know these problems are not your fault but maybe you know of another alternative which is as easy to follow as well?
I need a WW Version of the packed stock Rom but neither US nor WW are available due to the mediafire problem.
And the recovery is called 8239USrecovery so I assume I can't use it with my WW version?
Return to Stock
So, you played around, and you decided it was time to go back stock for that update, or maybe you just liked it better, or you wanted to give it to your grandma but knew Revolver was above her head- whatever the reason, you want to start fresh. The procedure requires you to get the Stock recovery image and a stock ROM. Luckily the stock ROMs are available on Asus' website, the recovery image isn't as easy to find, it i located here;
http://theunlockr.com/2011/11/28/how...s-transformer/
Place both files on your SD, but make sure the ROM file is in root (they can both be in the root it doesn't matter) and then use CWM to flash the recovery image, then WIPE EVERYTHING before rebooting into recovery mode again to confirm you have stock recovery in place, and allow it to flash stock ROM. Double check that you are unrooted by downloading superuser and installing it and seeing if it allows you root access (it should not).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
luna_c666 said:
About Stock Recovery Mode
The stock recovery mode is absolutely required to install official Asus OTA (Over The Air) updates. It can also be used to install (or RE-install if it were) your STOCK ROM (only official, digitally signed files will be accepted by the stock recovery to flash over the firmware, no modded roms will work). The method for doing this is outlined in the link for rolling back your firmware version above but I will summarize;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So theoretically this stock recovery mode will allow us to recover to a stock Asus signed ROM in case the main ROM get damaged? for example if rooting goes wrong or any other reason?
I have an SBK2 TF101, and I don't want to install CWM for the moment but want to have root, and don't want to brick my pad.
Outstanding post. Thanks a lot...
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Malandro2011 said:
Hi Luna
I tried to follow the Return to Stock instructions you listed but there seems to be some problems.
I know these problems are not your fault but maybe you know of another alternative which is as easy to follow as well?
I need a WW Version of the packed stock Rom but neither US nor WW are available due to the mediafire problem.
And the recovery is called 8239USrecovery so I assume I can't use it with my WW version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The recovery mode can be used regardless of region or firmware version, and if you are unable to locate the firmware files due to mediafire and megaupload etc. being down, simply retrieve them from Asus' website here;
http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/#download
I'll update the OP to make this more clear
mcbyte_it said:
So theoretically this stock recovery mode will allow us to recover to a stock Asus signed ROM in case the main ROM get damaged? for example if rooting goes wrong or any other reason?
I have an SBK2 TF101, and I don't want to install CWM for the moment but want to have root, and don't want to brick my pad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if you retain your stock recovery mode then it will be able to flash your firmware in the event that your ROM gets messed up for whatever reason, so long as you use the Stock signed copies of your firmware from Asus (i.e. the official files), recovery mode as stated will only flash official Asus files, they are digitally signed by Asus and without the signature recovery mode will fail.
And to put you at ease, the likelihood of anything going wrong while rooting is much smaller than flashing custom ROMs or recovery mode. Rooting is fairly fail-safe if you follow directions well.
luna_c666 said:
Yes, if you retain your stock recovery mode then it will be able to flash your firmware in the event that your ROM gets messed up for whatever reason, so long as you use the Stock signed copies of your firmware from Asus (i.e. the official files), recovery mode as stated will only flash official Asus files, they are digitally signed by Asus and without the signature recovery mode will fail.
And to put you at ease, the likelihood of anything going wrong while rooting is much smaller than flashing custom ROMs or recovery mode. Rooting is fairly fail-safe if you follow directions well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am asking because, as mentioned earlier, I only need to root for now without going the whole mod thing, because at the moment I am still not convinced that an android tablet suits me, so in case I still don't like it I want to be able to restore the stock ROM without going more into modding CWM and risking a brick.
So, in the case I root then later decide that I want to unroot, it is enough to put the signed stock Asus firmware on the SD card and boot into recovery mode, and it will be unrooted? why is it then that most unrooting guides does this with a special repacked zip file? why not just stock asus zip?
sticky!
mcbyte_it said:
I am asking because, as mentioned earlier, I only need to root for now without going the whole mod thing, because at the moment I am still not convinced that an android tablet suits me, so in case I still don't like it I want to be able to restore the stock ROM without going more into modding CWM and risking a brick.
So, in the case I root then later decide that I want to unroot, it is enough to put the signed stock Asus firmware on the SD card and boot into recovery mode, and it will be unrooted? why is it then that most unrooting guides does this with a special repacked zip file? why not just stock asus zip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, you should know that if you do not install CWM and flash a custom ROM, you will never actually know what you can do with an android tablet
But to answer about why others use special zips, unrooting with the Asus file actually does not delete anything on your system partition, it will simply rewrite all the system files, if there are other files that are unrelated to the rooting process leftover in your system partition those files will remain after unrooting. That is what the unroot zip files do usually, is they delete everything and reformat the system partition before installing (instead of just overwrite installing) to avoid leaving orphan files. But these orphan files usually do not impact your system (the entire system has been rewritten anyway) and for sake of argument your TF is unrooted, as you no longer have root access. To avoid leaving anything in your system after unrooting you should factory restore and delete all user apps/data with something like titanium backup before installing the stock firmware over your old rooted ROM. I will think of how to add this to the OP to make it more clear.
Basically though, if you unroot you will want to manually remove any files that are in your system partition (root directory) that were not there when you first rooted your TF or flashing the stock ROM will simply leave those and overwrite the other folders/files.
Just to throw something in here about that. Vipermod does have an unroot setting in it's commands.
Or using terminal emulator or adb
su
rm -r /system/app/Superuser.apk
rm -r /system/xbin/busybox
rm -r /system/bin/su
reboot
So I am new to the whole Root and ROM Android arena. And I came up with a few questions that hopefully you guys can help me with.
1. I read people saying they lost their ROOT after an update from 4.1 to 4.2 or 4.2.1 to 4.2.2? How did this happen for them?
Do you have to Un-root and flash to stock before updating to a different build (Such as 4.1 to 4.2 or 4.2.1 to 4.2.2)?
2. Right now I am using a custom ROM on Android Version 4.2.2.... if a new Custom ROM with a new android version released (Let's say 4.2.3) can I flash from one Rom to the other with just wiping Cache/Factory wipe and Dalvik Cahce or is there something else I would need to do because of the Android version update?
Sorry those two questions above are very similar but I wanted to ask them both ways.
3. If I were to get bored of the Custom ROM I am currently on. Are there any Best Practices "rules" I should know about when switching from one custom ROM to another?
4. Last if I am on a custom ROM with a nightly build..... is it more common to update to every nightly build that releases? Or is it more common people to only pick and choose choice nightly build versions. And if people do update to every new Nightly build.... can you update too much and destroy your device?
Sorry guys I know these seem like very basic questions..... and Yes I did search the forums. However while I found some very basic answers nothing went into great depth in explanation. All the answers seemed to be very vague.
does anyone have some suggestions on where to find these answers?
1. If you are on stock, rooted, and you update versions of the OS, you are essentially UPDATING the /system partition. That is how you lose 'root' when upgrading. If you modify any system files while rooted, you have to either revert to stock or change those modified files back to the original before running the update.
2. Just run FACTORY RESET in your custom recovery and flash the new custom rom. No need to wipe any caches (/cache is wiped during a factory reset anyway). It doesnt matter what version to what version. Sometimes new versions might require new bootloaders, but you will be bombarded with that information here if that becomes the case.
3. See number 2. Its the same thing. backup your apps with Titanium Backup, do a Factory Reset in custom recovery and flash new rom....done.
4. doesnt matter. you can update as much or as little as you like. some people prefer stability over new shiny, but then others are just crack-flashers....and will literally flash ANYTHING posted to see what happens
Pirateghost said:
1. If you are on stock, rooted, and you update versions of the OS, you are essentially UPDATING the /system partition. That is how you lose 'root' when upgrading. If you modify any system files while rooted, you have to either revert to stock or change those modified files back to the original before running the update.
2. Just run FACTORY RESET in your custom recovery and flash the new custom rom. No need to wipe any caches (/cache is wiped during a factory reset anyway). It doesnt matter what version to what version. Sometimes new versions might require new bootloaders, but you will be bombarded with that information here if that becomes the case.
3. See number 2. Its the same thing. backup your apps with Titanium Backup, do a Factory Reset in custom recovery and flash new rom....done.
4. doesnt matter. you can update as much or as little as you like. some people prefer stability over new shiny, but then others are just crack-flashers....and will literally flash ANYTHING posted to see what happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I really appreciate the response. :good: You'd be surprised how many "Tiny Parts" of answers you get from searching. Very rarely the whole answer you need.
I am glade to hear that Question 2 only requires you to just factory rest. From the misinformation gathered on other forums... I was starting to think you had to flash back to stock before updating to another Custom ROM Build.
@20mmrain
You've probably looked at a number of posts by confused newbs. For better or worse, this site is nothing like a moderated wiki, so you find treasure mixed in with trash.
Rooters fall into four broad classes:
(a) Those that "root & modify" stock ROMs
(b) Those that abandon stock and use custom ROMs and kernels
For each of the above cases, there are diligent and careful users who make full (nandroid) backups... and lazy idiots who do not. It is almost always the lazy idiots you observe coming in here in a panic, independent of whether they are in class (a) or (b).
Beyond that, newbs taking approach (a) seem to perpetually labor under the false impression that their modified versions of a stock ROM should be able to be upgraded by the OTA process - when in fact that there is absolutely no reason to believe that. The OTAs carefully check hundreds of different files before they perform any changes; if even a single one of them has been altered, the OTA aborts without making any changes.
It is *possible* that if none of those hundreds of files are changed that an OTA will succeed on a "nearly stock" ROM. When this happens though, it is quite typical that:
- the "su" binary (part of a root kit) in either /system/bin or /system/xbin gets its' setuid permissions reset by a recursive permission-setting command in the OTA
- the custom recovery can possibly be overwritten by the new stock recovery.
Folks tend to refer to either of the above as "losing root". True in principle, but they are trivially fixed up - if the user actually understands how Android rooting works. (With fastboot, you simply reflash the custom recovery, boot into that and reflash the same root kit originally used).
It's too bad that folks who put together rooting guides seem to neglect putting an emphasis on making backups. They give you both security and freedom.
Bottom line: whatever you choose to do, make nandroid backups. You don't need to keep them all on the tablet - but for convenience reasons, you should have at least one known good ROM as a backup available to be restored.
good luck
Wow that is a really in-depth explanation and that is exactly what was looking for! Since I have been working in the IT world for years I will say with pride that I am an individual who believes in safety first and always back up any important project I am working on! So I am happy to hear I made the right decision there.
I guess a great deal of my questions also stem from working in a windows based world for so long ....that I am still learning Linux/android.
Right now I do keep a nandroid backup on my nexus 7 but only one. How backups do you have? And do you just keep the rest on a thumb drive?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
20mmrain said:
Right now I do keep a nandroid backup on my nexus 7 but only one. How backups do you have? And do you just keep the rest on a thumb drive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the moment I have 6 on the tablet - all generated in the last 60 days. Two in the last two days (one a rooted stock/jdq39, another a cm10.1 nightly). Plus recent TiBu market app & data backups. 32 GB model, so I have plenty of room.
That doesn't reflect any particular strategy or goal. I hook it up to a PC every once in a while and at that time either copy off any backups worth saving or delete them. Most of the those I have on the PC will eventually be deleted as well without ever being used. You could use a USB key if you want to. Really you only need to keep one on the tablet - mostly as a convenience in case you wedge your daily driver ROM with some random mod: you can restore a working ROM right from your tablet rather than having to find a USB key or return to your PC to get the tablet booting again.
There is one type of ROM backup that I think is very useful to keep a permanent copy of - a pure stock ROM. The reason for that is that any radio images (tilapia) or bootloader upgrades that are *sometimes* delivered by OTA can be trivially installed by:
- make a backup of the current ROM
- restore a pure stock ROM backup (including the stock recovery! ***)
- take the OTA
- ***soft-boot a custom recovery and make a backup of the NEW stock ROM (including its' recovery!)
- hard-flash the custom recovery to the tablet
- restore the backup from the first step above.
Doing things this way is the safest possible way to install either a bootloader or a radio image. Not only that, but for folks that prefer to mod stock ROMs, it gives them a backup archive of /system to recover arbitrary (stock) files from.
*** soft-booting a recovery is the most convenient way to capture a stock recovery as part of a nandroid backup. I.E.
Code:
fastboot boot recoveryimagefile.img
If you hard-flash a custom recovery before you make a nandroid backup of a stock ROM, you lose the opportunity to get a copy of the stock recovery along with the rest of the stock ROM.
good luck
The SUPER Custom Rom Guide and Troubleshoot
There came a new version, your droid got old school and there is no support from Samsung cause they have forgotten about you.
Service centers you looked upon, and to mention exorbitant fees plus service tax came along. Thank You ma'am. will see you around.
Your droid is lagging and hanging and Lo, stops working suddenly. Now you just want to try something new, cause you can't sell them or buy new.
You search on google,
find on Youtube,
Read between surveys and blogs,
tried it yourself,
sometimes got lucky sometimes got thorny.
Now you come to the XDA community. there is too much to absorb and you're kind a new, welcome to all of you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dealing with most of the trouble making bugs and useful insight into cornering them like a rat
1. Tab is Stuck on Charging Screen. Tab is not turning On, battery completely depleted/Not charging, Nothing is Working
2. Stuck On Samsung Logo Screen.
3. Stuck in a Boot Loop.
4. Stuck On Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue.
5. Bricked.Explained in Post number 2
Well that would sum up for me and most of the users will agree that these are the cases that really needs attention and no cussing about how your droid lags and hangs, doesn't makes it to the lists So, by the end of this guide, I would hope and expect at least so much from users to at least have a better knowledge and general idea of how things work here. so users don't just go on saying HELP HELP I am a NooB, Please read and understand first, dude. Thank you I will try to make it simple even if you're not so cool.
A few words about me if you're interested
OH!! you clicked!! wow. well what should I say here. ahem, hello gorgeous. I am Sam So, unlikely,
So guys, I wasn't lucky enough to get everything organised at one thread and spend a lot of time finding a perfect place for everything I would want to, so I thought this would be worth a share. It took me almost a month to write this stuff. yeah I was bored to the core, so put in some fun stuff
along with most of my learning experience and knowledge gained here on XDA in this Guide over the span of 3 years, I would just read and experiment it myself, kind of guy, I wouldn't have dared to put up this guide sooner, but now after successfully solving most of the cases even other people hard bricks and trivial issues that I get to see everyday and keeping myself safe from hard bricks with still not knocked out by one. all thanks to this community this is my gift that I would like to give in return, and I am just someone who likes to get to the edge of the world, exactly, on a round globe. Thank You
Android Broken into 5 parts, Worth a Look
Well not exactly broken but explained in 5 parts ( There are more but I choose not to, thank me for that)
1. Boot section(bootloaders/kernel)
This is droid's heart(accept it), responsible for the droid's birth and keeping it alive, sleeping, waking up, slowdown and speedup, overall working of the system, it has impact on every part of the droid. mess up things here, and droid won't start up at all and will stop beating and malfunction. then you will need a pacemaker and CPR(J-TAG) to revive it or it will keep the brain in coma. yes pretty much like our heart.
2. System section
This is a droid's mind, Its the place where all main work and processes are happening, with rooting and flashing you get a licence to open that mind and analyse, read logs, stats. that brain, heart and all your body is producing, you can see it all and make changes in it, put few things from outside. clean it, format it, wipe it, make amend(patches). So, imagine all that happening in your mind and the idea of cleaning your brains for once, wiping the mind, giving new and fresh experiences(newer and updated files) new interface(new UI), affecting the overall performance and changing to a whole new perspective with which you look at things.
So Clear your mind about this and remove your bad experiences and upgrade it with new stable ones. err not the custom beta and alpha ones, cause then you will give your headaches and put them in depression.
3. Data
This place is the memories part, and everything is stored up here. Everything. some would be overtly stored(on sdcard) and some deep inside you(under system/data/data). now overtly ones are not a concern here but deeper ones are hard to forget and lingers in your system, these won't go well if your heart and mind changed or aren't supposed to be the same, or in trouble will they? (i know I am good at explaining this)
4. Cache
Well, this one is the dreams part. damn I am right just admit it now. they come from your memories, keep it or forget about it, that's unto you. sometimes it can interfere with your old memories when you get new ones. so if unknown problem persist, with your heart and mind working nicely please clear your dreams and look into some of the memories. otherwise get the mind checked first.
5. Recovery
This is the soul part, whenever your heart or mind or data or dreams are feeling lost, you connect to it and revive them accordingly, or contact ODIN.
I hope you had some fun in the above part and a very clear and better understanding, So now you know where things are going wrong
The Beginning
Ensure your Charging Adapter, USB ports and your USB cable, are in good shape and working in accordance, Never depend on USB hubs or any USB port that is a faulty or slow performer, use original cables, or buy new ones, the cable does create problems in some cases. if you're sure that these are fine, then let it in charging for few hours to even a day. depending upon how fast the droid recovers.
So what do you do, when you have to go the custom way or solve your problems?
i. Press Power and Volume Up(right button) or
ii. Press Power and Volume Down(left button) or
iii.Press Power and Hold touch screen combinations.
iv. Press nicely and hold it for good few seconds there, no hurry, really.
v. Long press the power button, release the power button and, when you see a logo appear during boot-up, hold down both the volume up and volume down buttons. Continue holding the two buttons until the droid boots up with a safe mode indicator at the bottom-left corner of its screen.
vi. Plug it in PC with the USB.
vii. Remove the Battery blow air on it and pat a little and put it back inside.
So what happens after doing what I said above?
i. (a). The tab goes into download mode
ii (b). The tab goes into recovery mode
iii(c). the tab switch off/on again.
iv (d). Now the Combinations worked properly, beware cause many a times on droids this could be a seriously tricky part.
v (e). The tab goes into safe mode.
I know you got tired there holding the buttons and No you didn't had to press it so hard
vi (f). Your droid and PC responds and connects.
yeah, I know Nothing much of a Help, but it will make sense when it doesn't
vii(g).
this is an age old trick of which there is no proof of success, but it has been working since ages.
As long as you can enter download mode or recovery or safe mode you can walk the path of going custom and troubleshoot along the way. Piece of cake. Most of the ways including how to root, upgrades, lag free and better performance starts here
[if you're ready to take the plunge, remember there is no backing out.]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Choose your steps wisely here now, if possible just read the main points and see if you have done all those first. that will save your data in some case and in some save you from getting all messed up.
CORA, (CODE OF RECOVERING ANDROID)
For NON-ROOT USERS
Safe mode
Stock recovery
Download Mode
FOR ROOTED USERS
Custom recovery,
Nandroid BACKUP,
Download mode
Safe mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WITHOUT MODIFYING SYSTEM FOR HARDCORE STOCK USER
1. SAFE MODE
This mode generally helps when the problem is arising from 3rd party apps and is making your droid reboot again and again, lagging, hanging issues, so whatever is causing problem, if you can reach here, you can uninstall them clear their data and cache, and yes, free up some internal space too and backup your data from settings-backup as well. then factory reset if you want to.
2. STOCK RECOVERY WAY
You have never rooted your droid and you don't want to root and you don't want to move away from stock, well pressing the Power and Volume Down(left button) will take you there.
try to clear cache/data factory reset(will lose you data stored on internal droid) and yes it does solve few of the cases, even if it doesn't look so promising, it has solved, and will solve quiet a few issues. no chance of getting that data stored on internal., phone book, messages, chats.
3. THE DOWNLOAD MODE WAY
Flash a stock firmware Explained in post the download way.
Code:
Now if you are already Rooted or want to Root to have a better option of saving your data, or reviving your droid
it's like performing a surgery on your body by yourself.
So be careful, you have been warned, Samsung voids the warranty,
and I don't give any Guarantees that these Instructions will work for all.
MODIFYING FOR PEOPLE WHO RISK IT
1. Getting Rooted
2. Custom recovery Way and (post number 4)
3. Download mode Way. (post number 5)
AND FOR THOSE WHO WILL BLAME ME
Seriously?
The most important and most essential part here is GETTING/HAVING a NANDROID BACKUP, the very FIRST THING that you MUST HAVE DID/DONE upon getting ROOTED. Make a Stable Clone guys.
You will need to get rooted and custom recovery to do that, not to forget enabling the USB Debugging Option from Settings->about device-> Build number-> press 7 times->back->developer->Enable USB Debugging and that's the beginning my friend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other threads with good post for the tab 2 series about rooting guides, containing firmware links, recoveries, Roms list, kernels, pretty much everything.
All about P51xx
All about P31xx
Latest Roms, Recoveries updated by Android-andi, the best developer around here
other droid users please look it up under your device thread tree, they will surely have a way, tailored and to the point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Getting Rooted is only advised if you're going to stay on stock rom, debloating the system and making changes yourself.
if you're going to install a custom rom, which would be generally rooted, so you can skip to getting a custom recovery first.
CF auto Root are better option for any device to get rooted rather than other options
CFauto-root GT-P3100
CF auto root for GT-P51xx
or you can visit the chainfire homepage for your device which contains the root file for almost every device.
ROOT FROM DEVICE WITHOUT PC
in cases where you can't use ODIN for rooting or you want root your droid and there is still no method explained for Root on XDA then using framaroot, towel root, baidu, kingo or any other app(they can root some sets of droid) is advised, without ODIN or in case you couldn't connect your tab to the PC with the USB, only then these apps are good ways to get root. after that you can use flashify app or other apps for same purpose that has the feature to flash .img files, you can also use Mobile Odin app which can pretty much work when you can't use Odin from Pc.
then you can download a copy of the custom recovery image.(recovery.img) browse in the app and let it do the installation for you. this is useful for droids which doesn't have that much support like we and others have here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Common Issues faced
If you have read about my explanation of android's partitions in the OP(Original Post above), you would know where exactly to look for the problems. Moving on,
For other Geeks
Please remind me if I missed few things, you see I have put up this Guide mostly of the files I have in my system partition,I might have missed few that were stored in data or cache partition
1. Tab is Stuck on Charging Screen. Tab is not turning On, battery completely depleted/Not charging, Nothing is Working
Possibilities
* if the tab doesn't feels warm even after charging for a whole day,
F1. Battery dead,
F2. Circuit/Motherboard blown,
F3. Bad Charger/charging point
F4. No electricity
if it's getting warm and still not turning on
F5. Hardware buttons not working
F6. Motherboard needs replacement.
F7. Flashed a bootloader/kernel(along with a Rom/firmware), or something not meant for your device, which is the hard brick in this category please refer to case number 5. (process on post 2)
F8. Some Custom Roms have bugs that won't Charge, stay stuck on the battery icon, unless you remove the plug and turn on. always read before flashing a Rom, if there are no info, better ask the developer before you go flashing or post your Question in related thread where they would get noticed.
2. Stuck On Samsung Logo Screen.
This could be from various reasons generally not so serious ones mostly recoverable issues of which, some are
Flashed a incompatible Custom Rom zip or any other flashable zip containing files not meant for the exact device.
Flashed a kernel/ bootloader incompatible with the Rom, wrong kernel modules, messed up system lib files, (lucky enough to still not be in hard bricked section.)
Formatted system partition and there is no OS installed. (one of the silliest mistakes I have done)
Some other that I maybe forgetting just like I completely forgot about the above
Possible Solutions
Go to the stock recovery and wipe data/factory reset (this will make your precious data that you stored vanish, except data stored on SDcard) (explained further in post 3)
Get a working stable compatible kernel/Rom or flash stock firmware. (explained in post 2 and 3)
Download from a different source cause chances are the file got corrupted or infected while downloading or transferring. (post 3)
Find the file that is stopping the device from booting up, starting from the kernel, to the system files. duh?
Go to the custom recovery way.
Go to the download way
3. Stuck in a Boot Loop.
Boot Loops are crazy and they will make you mad, they can hit you anytime for even little of tasks, Root or not root, either you are testing a new app, modifying/copying/editing/deleting/overwriting files in the system or data that don't even look so dangerous, just flashing some mod, GAPPS, or just updates rolled out by devs(nothing against them) this will surely hit you, no matter how focused and diligently you work. boot loops will make you do hula hoops.
Boot Loop is generally solved by
Hello? whatever you did that I mentioned above, just roll it back.
if you can't figure it out, well then
Remember the CORA order Quoted above in the first post? Read on
Safe Mode?
Go to recovery and clear cache then reboot.
Clear data/factory reset from stock recovery(data stored will be lost) (root users can skip this and directly go to 7)
No, Recovery?, You sure pressed the button nicely?
Flash a custom recovery image(recovery.tar) from Odin
Repeat from 1-3
Backup/Restore from Nandroid backup
Don't sit for the next exams without memorizing your lesson.
Cleared cache/dalvik cache?
Flash a Compatible Custom kernel
Find the stock replacement of the file/app you messed up from a firmware or a custom Rom, put it in a flashable zip and flash it (advance users)
Clear/data factory reset either from custom recovery. (*loses data)
Flash the Custom Rom, first dirty flash then clean flash.
Flash a Stock firmware from Odin. (loses data)
4. Stuck On Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue.
Well this problems hits non-root users and root users too? why? because we wanted an update.
it was trying to upgrade and something got in between to make it stop
Battery/Power/Electricity - for non root users, the most common culprit would be the battery, seriously guys, please keep the battery in mind always. it's a very common mistake that cost many of users. For ODIN users, please see you have a uninterrupted supply of power to your device and you are using latest version along with Hi speed USB ports.
kies!!! I hate that thing and majority of others will support me here. I got rid of it the day I installed that thing on my PC.
interruption from the user side while the device was taking an upgrade. removed battery? fell down on the floor? no?
hardware issue, unlikely, rare I would say, in case the device did came out with a weak emmc card.
Bad/wrong firmware downloaded files.
In case you had a custom recovery and its still working, check the custom recovery way
I Know 1st didn't helped you,
Refer to the Download Mode way and get a custom recovery
Don't forget to clear cache, you do know that's where the device keeps the downloaded/image firmware file, and that's where it is installing/extracting from. the dream partition, no wonder you got errors. you got a nightmare now
try the download mode way
probably it's best that you either forget about the mobile, or give it to a service center for a J-TAG and get it repaired.
I knew you would look here, there is indeed a last ray of hope, explained at the last thing to do in download mode way
5. Bricked.
There are 3 types of Bricks, Soft Hard and The Brick, That's it.
Soft brick
well you are safe and sound, you can even recover from custom recovery mode.
Hard brick
skynet has fallen, just like it infected the droid Arnold Schwarzenegger of the terminator version 3.0, the codes were injected into his heart making the brain dis balance and resulting in partial heart seizure and a coma, but he still had the cache and data part intact along with recovery, so it went there, restored a nandroid backup and went online again. BAM!! so easy. but why? I mean ours droid having reached version 6.0 can't recover from the same way? Where only hope here is a CPR or getting J-TAGGED? not to mention, which should be done by expert surgeons who would charge exorbitant . So, don't waste time with a jig or any other miracle to happen and please don't go on the droid with a shocking therapy. I am more of a practical guy and prefer professionalism.
The Brick
err, that's the solid one, put that on your heart, and forget about this droid and shell out money for a new one. : that's what the company wants to tell you here and that's the reason it doesn't want to put the nandroid on the stock recovery cause they want the blame on you and not them. shhh, keep it hidden, don't say I told you their secret
General Overview of the Next Options we have.
a. The Download Mode Way
Before going this way I would suggest you see the recovery mode way, if it's not working for you, then go ahead here.
You have four things that you can do (other's I never needed to venture upon)
1. Flash a Recovery -
In case you want to change or update a Recovery or fix/access a Recovery again, to root, complete backup from recovery(nandroid), install new custom Rom, install stock Rom, plenty of options here. Probably the safest option here cause you don't lose your data unless you do something wrong here as to format it. whether you root your tablet or not, install a custom Rom or stay on stock, everyone MUST have a custom recovery, I don't understand why Stock recovery can't have this option as well?
2. Flash a stock firmware package -
in case you are on stock recovery never rooted,
can't reach or can't flash anything using custom recovery,
bootloops(applied in all cases), want to revert back to stock factory state. tab system is behaving weirdly, virus and Trojans attacked or you just want to upgrade or change your droid firmware.
Note Using this method, will result in the loss of all your data stored on the device internal card.
3. Flashing a Bootloader
Generally these are included in every stock firmware pack. if you had a ICS(4.0.4) stock Rom, and the device got an Official JB(4.2.2) update. you must update to that firmware first before flashing any later custom Roms[from kk to M(6.0)], the version which never got released officially. flashing this part separately is very risky and done with utmost care, remember it's your droid heart. don't fool around with it.
3. Flash firmware with pit file -
Warning : this is some high level flashing, it will re partition your device along with the stock firmware. in cases where NOTHING ELSE on the whole Internet worked for you, and you have tried almost everything, only then choose this path with clear mind. make mistake in this, and your tab will virtually turn into a paperweight. if you're not sure you could handle it, please send it for the service centers. this is going to flash every part of the droid's body
4. Flash the 4 files with pit
This is the secret way, where miracles can happen even when there was no hope of recovering yourself.
b. The Recovery Mode Way
Stock recovery - Here You can clear cache, there is nothing much happening in clearing cache, just clearing some temporary files and making you feel like you have got some space cleared out. it's just files that you most probably already used.
data/factory reset and reboot. Easy and simple solution . that does solve some of the problems you face without modifying your device much. so those of you who are afraid to flashing things and ending up on some bigger mistake, you can give this a try, but keep in mind, you will lose all your data stored in the device.
there is apply update from recovery, but that seldom has use in an average android user's life nothing much of a recovery.
Go to download mode way of flashing a custom recovery
or
If you have rooted your tab somehow using framaroot, towel root, baidu or any other app, without ODIN in case you can't connect your tab to the PC with the USB, then you can use flashify app or Kernel Adiutor(the latest one) or any other apps that has the feature to flash img from inside the device OS. you can download a copy of the custom recovery image.(recovery.img) browse in the app and let it do the installation for you.
Custom recovery - Here you have many things that you can do depending upon which recovery and which version you choose. CWM is past, philz is ok, TWRP is awesome. most of the options are common in these 3, but some are really better and fast than the previous ones. we will discuss only one, my favorite TWRP(Respect for the legend CWM though), the process is common on all but twrp is more feature rich.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Important files you must have NANDROID BACKUP, STOCK FIRMWARE, PIT FILE, and 4 FILES FIRMWARE PACKAGE, GET them even before you need to search for them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Setting Up Everything
Before proceeding Always keep device battery fully charged and NEVER go flashing on low battery. Very Risky. Don't forget.
Always check the files that you are going to flash on your device. generally files will have device model mentioned in their filename.
Be Sure that you don't lose electricity or laptop on low battery while working. the device takes time to update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Things you need to Set up a 'Flashing Environment'
No, I am not going to talk about a flashy party setup
i. PC running Windows 7 and 8 (with 10 I haven't flashed anything yet, but it works.)
ii. A working data cable(some cables are bad and will not detect your device if you see unknown device better get a new one)
iii. Samsung USB Drivers it's much better than having samsung kies on your pc. I would personally suggest from my experience along with many people who have suffered from samsung kies, it's not worth the hassle. ODIN and KIES don't work alongside, so you will have to close.
iv. ODIN 3.10 (download plus instructions as well I used 1.85, 3.07, 3.09 All worked, and so will 3.10. if not, try different ones from Odin 1-85 to 3.07. these links have more step by step and detailed covering what I have left.
v. 7Zip better download this cause it can unpack most of the files.
Press and hold Power and Volume Up(right) button on your device for few good minutes until you see a download mode screen
Connect your USB cable to PC and press Up to Continue. sometimes there could be problem with the USB ports, you should check in all the ports available. avoid USB hubs or the front panel USB in case of PC, don't let a faulty port ruin this for you.
Problem/Failed with Odin? Refer to this thread Good Points here as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DOWNLOADING AND READING FILES
Believe it, this a very big problem that people tend to overlook
The file you need will look something like these
"P5100XXDMD1_P5100OJVDME1_P5100XXDLL2_EUR.tar.7z"
where
P5100 - Generally the first 5 letters/numbers means a device model number.
XXDMD1 this is PDA which will be 5 letters(much older devices)-6 letters denoting firmware build version.
OJVDME1 is CSC version these just contains regional wise APN, nothing much.
XXDLL2 is Modem version.
EUR is Country Code.
.7z means you need 7zip to extract this file.
Now see these 2 examples here
"S7562XXALJ4_S7562OXXALJ3_S7562XXLJ3_HUN.tar" and "S7562CZNUAMI2_S7562CCHUAMI2_CHU zip"
Sure it's S7562 device but wait the other one is S7562C !!! totally different device firmware. make mistake here and you are sure going to lose.
I Hope you can make out the difference now for every device now.
Now the real file that you need will always be inside a zip/tar/7z the correct format is "P5100XXDMD1_P5100OJVDME1_P5100XXDLL2.tar.md5 "
Remember to extract it and get the md5 file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the known best sources
Enter and Download device model on sammobile
P5100 sammobile
P5110 sammobile
P5113 sammobile
P3100 sammobile
P3113 sammobile
*Bump Download firmwares available smart-gsm.net
Download firmwares available easy-firmware.comThe Only reason I am putting this here is while I was searching for genuine websites, I had a very hard time finding through sites that looks nothing else than scams and fakes and rarely had files that I needed and password protected. this websites has ads, but looks organized and for tab series, it had at-least all the firmwares downloading.
PHP:
Yes so, it will take time and require a good internet speed, there are other sites, but I don't recommend them unless they are from good source or sometimes the only option. Options are also available from GSMhosting site as well, its another good community but I feel XDA is much better. still if you have no options. you have to get it somehow. just stay away from the survey sites and bogus ones. specially the blogspot ones.
Recovery Mode Way
Recovering from a custom recovery
Important PartCreating Nandroid Backup - This is the most important thing that you will ever need, and will always regret not having it when you chose this path, should be the first priority.
Getting Inside
Switch off the device
Let it completely shutdown
Hold Power and Volume Down(left button)
This is how it looks saw that backup button? yes that is where you tap first (other recoveries will have different looks, but same "backup" and
This is where you do it . by tapping again or navigating through the volume up and down button in case of older recoveries this would not at all be same, this is the most latest feature rich recovery.
Those Running CWM older builds, won't find the options to select boot, system cache and data and instead there will be just "backup" and backup to external.
CWM by default will Backup boot, system, data, cache partitions. Philz will also do it. But TWRP has better features. although they do the same. You just select system, boot, data and cache. that would be all to recover using nandroid backup.
Now here it depends on what you are trying to do and what would you like to recover from, also depends on what you are comfortable with doing and how much space you can spare. if you have a lot, I would say skip this step and backup all for once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not Noob Friendly
if you have that same custom Rom zip that you would like to restore the backup of, then there is no need to copy/backup /system partition again, it will save you some space. so you can skip it in that case for TWRP.
if you're only going to modify device kernel - backup boot. or just data if you already have the custom Rom with kernel.
other than that twrp offers what CWM lacked, skip md5 generation during backup well this is a good option and saves some time while backup, on restoring you can also enable or disable it. the purpose of this is simple, md5 is like a security/seal on your backup file, so you don't mess up anything while restoring it on your device. after all you never know when a virus might attack or you might put the wrong files on it. if you are sure about your talents, you can skip it or else it's better to let it generate and verify while restore. CWM has this setup as default.
Now you have one? GREAT! GENIUS!! Now whenever you encounter a problem make sure you can use it like a BOSS.
Restore Nandroid Backup
Enter recovery mode by Pressing Power and Volume Down(left button),
you reach the main screen,
you see a "restore" option and tap it,
you will see folders name starting with the date you made a nandroid backup,
you recognize which one you want by the date and information listed there, and select it. CWM only offered dates, but twrp even offers more detailed info including OS version and Rom name. one more reason I suggest you to use twrp.
In case you want only data to be restored, then you choose advanced restore and check the data and restore. but before doing this part make sure you are not restoring conflicting data or system or kernel with incompatible versions.
you can't restore a data backup from a Jellybean Rom and put it on a custom Rom based on Lollipop, neither a kernel from Lollipop to jellybean.
Data should only be recovered on the same Rom you took the backup from.
In case the custom Rom developer rolls an update of the same fixing issues,(not some major changes) then you can in some cases think of getting this worked out smoothly. This is called a "dirty flash". which is the reason why sometimes users experience problems running certain Roms, even when they are good and stable Roms. So before complaining to devs make sure you follow the clean install method.
Note: System and data most of the times will cause problems. Kernels are not meant at all to play with. they are the biggest source of bricks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wiping Part - Steer Clear the problems away
this is where wipe takes place[PIC]
here are the wipes options on a custom recovery
Factory reset - Wipes cache, dalvik, data/ excluding your media part on the internal drive.(your pics, videos are safe)
this will generally clear you problems if they are not some big issues. but you will lose the apps and contacts messages stored.
Advanced wipe - Format system
you can try to do this first if you don't want to lose your data while troubleshooting.
format system if you're facing issues with the files on system partition, but remember to install the same Rom you had earlier. if you had stock, you will need a stock Rom zip not to forget keeping the file ready beforehand on the external SD card.
Beware while navigating in advance wipe menu, never wipe in a hurry, never drink and wipe, never take eyes off here, cause you might end up touching external SD card, USB-OTG, internal storage and lose your precious data
Format data - this wipes the data partition
problems arising from the data partition side could be solved here, but you lose your precious data on the internal and get rid of the bad, virus, trojans, trouble making apps.
How to perform A CLEAN INSTALL when you are going to update to a new Rom?
Factory Reset and Format System, Format CACHE
or
Format /System, Format /Data, Format /Cache, WIPE Dalvik Cache, Factory Reset.
This will Surely Solve Some Great & Average Problems of Day to Day Flashing.[/B]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's a Dirty Flash then?
Format System, without Deleting Data partition. before doing this, please do a nandroid backup in case you mess things up. if not, format system again and flash the Rom that was initially running with that data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now Comes the Installing part
Installing Menu
You download a copy of a custom Rom or stock Rom, after following the developer's thread, reading through it's bugs and reviews. you don't want a unstable or alpha Roms.
There would be installing process explained on that thread follow it and always make sure that inside the zip file it contains a meta-inf and system folder with boot.img) always look inside before going to flash, don't trust me, don't trust anyone. although
if you tried to flash a firmware zip file containing a .img file, without Meta-Inf folder, it won't flash. cause the custom recovery needs instructions from updater-script. Now, I know this was mostly going on like this before, but now with latest custom recoveries, (twrp) you can even flash .img files without needing a zip.
You perform a Clean Install wipe stated in the wipe section above
Reboot to Recovery(Don't select reboot to system, there is no system after clean wipe)
You browse through the files list and external storage,
Find that zip file and
Swipe or press or touch to flash it.
You wait for it to complete the process then
You can wipe/cache/dalvik and reboot or you just reboot. depends on what you choose "clean install" or "dirty install".
You want to report any errors while flashing? you are free to do so on the Rom thread, don't expect me to solve those cases.
If all went well, reboot to system and your tab should be up running again. if not refer to the Download mode Way.
The Download Mode Way
The Download Mode Way
1. FLASH A CUSTOM RECOVERY
Find the recoveries in their respective threads. For P51xx and P31xx Recovery thread others can look in their respective device sections, XDA has development thread of most of the Samsung devices and people do post there.
it should look like this on your address bar
"http forum.xda-developers.com / galaxy-tab-2 / general"
xda website /__ (devicename)/ (sub-forum)
(development) OR (/general) section
You can always google it too.
remember you will need a recovery.md5 that will be inside a zip file extract from it.
Always check whats in the archive then go the recovery mode way, it should be .md5
Sorry I have not put up detailed step by step process here because my guide is covering a lot of things already and this is something each device specific, refer to this For General step by step instructions with pictures, this has very detailed process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2 FLASH A STOCK FIRMWARE
These package contains files needed to update or revert to the same position where it was shipped to your country along with your android device. you can find all Samsung device firmwares released from all parts of the world, and yes, you can flash firmwares of other country/regions from the sammobile site just stay away from the carrier specific firmwares(unless you are on one) that should be used for the same specific carriers device only they are married to the carrier company and probably won't let you have your own ways with others.
You should also remember not to downgrade a stock firmware once you have upgraded, that will surely create problems
Run Odin as administrator
Browse PDA/AP and find the firmware .md5 file
This is how you should see on your ODIN screen. always be very very careful to uncheck the Re-partition. it's unchecked by default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Code:
The yellow column/(Blue for other versions) means
your device is detected by the PC.
If it's not lit, you have messed up USB drivers
still not uninstalled kies Completely or
not connected the device properly.
try changing to different USB Ports.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Press Start
Wait for the process to complete and let the device reboot from download mode
Remove cable when you see PASS written with green above the Yellow/Blue com port.
PHP:
Most Problems are solved here when you see success/PASS.
Except one The emmc bug. Replace the internal emmc, or J-TAG or
mysteriously something else done by professionals.
[*]if it shows failed, see if you can go to recovery mode and clear data, check Mount/Unmount System, data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if it still says failed, the downloaded file is corrupted, wrong Odin version(try with different Odin versions) you have flashed wrong device files which has messed up the partition table of your device. refer to other ways.
Threads with good post for the tab 2 series these contains firmware links, guides, recoveries, Roms list, kernels pretty much everything.
All about P51xx
All about P31xx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. FLASH A BOOTLOADER
First ask yourself why you would want to do this?
Be extra careful with this part, if you have already flashed a updated firmware, you don't need this part.
Those who are using old stock firmware, please flash a stock last updated firmware. you won't need to do this.
Those who did not follow the above two, so it's now unto you, this a risky thing, you have been advised you are going further yourself
Those who are experiencing problems that are not solved even after most of my other instructions here, then it's onto you to decide you want to try this too or not. this could solve problems when device is in serious condition, after all it's the heart partition and remember no downgrades in this once you upgrade. thats it. this could seriously create problems, including bringing back the emmc issue as well.
Refer to this DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS to FLASH A BOOTLOADER for SAMSUNG TAB 2 SERIES follow safely by @Joery360 other users please be careful with these files and don't go on flashing others files? okay. Great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4. FLASH FIRMWARE WITH PIT FILE
Wait!! You are sure that you want to try this part? this is the point of no return. Whatever happens to your device by following this guide, good or bad, it's your own responsibility. You can't blame me for it. so be sensible, if you're not sure please let this be done by someone who has the experience of dealing with this kind of stuff.
Now pit files are some serious files, they contain information about your device partition and they help flash erase and rewrite files on their correct partition, so better not take a wrong file, sometimes you have the same device but different internal space, so don't end up choosing a pit file for a 8 GB variant on your 16 GB variant of device, in that case your device will end up using 8gb only, or worse if it's other device, it might never boot up again.
Always remember don't flash pit files ever without a firmware file in place.
Download Pit files for Samsung tab 2 p51xx p31xx series
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Run Odin as administrator
Browse PDA and find the firmware .md5 file
Browse Pit and select the pit file (reminder : file confirmed?)
Make Sure Re-partition is checked cause we are using Pit File to re partition again
Never flash a Pit file without a firmware placed in PDA/AP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Press Start
Wait for the process to complete and let the device reboot from download mode
Remove cable when you see PASS written with green above the Yellow/Blue com port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if it shows failed while flashing, you did used correct files, right? after this if there is still a download mode running on your device. try the special case files.
this has happened with me on a unknown MTK device, the pit file was slightly different from the original one on device, so it failed, but that was at the start before it could flash. I did somehow managed to flash that different pit file, just lost some disk space. cause I used a lower variant pit but it got the device running up again.
The device takes a long time to boot while it's updating firmware, so you are required to have sufficiently charged battery, Take no chances here.
if even after a successful flash with Odin, you face problems, then that's a emmc bug case. motherboard replacement or emmc replacement, or tab replacement. nothing else.
5. FLASH PIT WITH 4 FILES FIRMWARE
Find the repair firmware files at this Website
it has the 4 files for most of the devices including the Tab 2 series
Instructions for using these 4 files, however please note that the only difference would be the ODIN versions, cause device needs specific ODIN version, some can flash all.
this is the only way, that I have seen working for numerous devices and it is most successful one among all options to recover an almost bricked device, on which you have tried everything.
For other devices
Find them here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you'll find these buttons on every post.
it's better to notify a user when you're asking that user a question or use @username of the user for mentioning in your post, that will give in a notification for you.
I think there could be more, i know it's already lengthy but who knows?
Hi, I need the ROM for this phone, more specifically, the boot.img file, as the current kernel is for the older, Indian revision of the On5, and my revision, the USA version SM-G550T1, seems not to have any copies of its firmware floating around. I'm running an OS for the SM-G550FY, which has no audio or camera support. Even if the version isn't an exact match, if you bought this phone in the USA, new, in 2016, your boot.img will probably work. I need this kernel guys. Please, if someone has an On5 in the USA, can I please get a copy of your boot.img and possibly system.img? I really care about the boot.img.
Thanks guys
-Subsentient
Firstly, did you try the updated ones at these locations:
http://www.theandroidsoul.com/galaxy-on5-stock-firmware-2-86761/
http://firmwarefile.com/samsung-sm-g550fy
Secondly, why exactly do you need the boot.img, what problem do you think it'll solve? Is there any specific issue with your current ROM that you are trying to solve?
Yes, I did, but as you can see, those are for the SM-G550FY, not my SM-G550T1, and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
This makes me strongly suspect a driver issue, which could most likely be fixed by getting my hands on a copy of the factory boot.img.
Running Android 6.0.1 right now, compiled for the SM-G550FY, but I can't get it working.
Subsentient said:
Yes, I did, but as you can see, those are for the SM-G550FY, not my SM-G550T1, and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
This makes me strongly suspect a driver issue, which could most likely be fixed by getting my hands on a copy of the factory boot.img.
Running Android 6.0.1 right now, compiled for the SM-G550FY, but I can't get it working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
>> and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
Did they not work from day one or did they just stopped working after a passage of time or due to rooting or an OTA upgrade? If you didn't root or install a custom ROM, there is just no room for a software/driver issue to happen. Did you try wiping the cache partition and doing a factory reset?
EDIT
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
prahladyeri said:
>> and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
Did they not work from day one or did they just stopped working after a passage of time or due to rooting or an OTA upgrade? If you didn't root or install a custom ROM, there is just no room for a software/driver issue to happen. Did you try wiping the cache partition and doing a factory reset?
EDIT
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did install a custom ROM. None of the ROMs I can find support the camera or audio, not at all, ever.
Subsentient said:
I did install a custom ROM. None of the ROMs I can find support the camera or audio, not at all, ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you are! I just cannot emphasize enough that why don't you guys backup your existing ROMs before flashing a new one? It hardly takes five minutes with CWM/TWRP recovery.
In any case, what happens when you flash the Indian ROM (5.1.1)? I guess that could be your only option.
Otherwise, you can put a request on the CyanogenMod thread for your particular Samsung model.
For future reference, perform device backups and all the research before flashing a custom ROM, not after the fact.
EDIT
If you can contact Samsung support, see if you can manage to get a stock ROM from them that you can flash using ODIN or something.
I contacted them already, they basically told me to go **** myself. The missing ROM is a result of bad parameters I accidentally put in to Heimdall/ODIN flasher. I wanted to back up, but ironically, my first attempt at installing TWRP is what destroyed my ROM.
I've downloaded the kernel source code from Samsung and I'll try compiling it myself. If I create a working boot.img, I'll post it here.
prahladyeri said:
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
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boot.img is where the kernel is stored. I know, I decompressed it.
Subsentient said:
boot.img is where the kernel is stored. I know, I decompressed it.
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Click to collapse
You are right, boot.img has the monolithic kernel, however, a lot of drivers are available as separate modules in /system/lib/modules/, so you need to make sure that one is proper too.
In case of Samsung, I think it was probably a mistake to use TWRP/CWM to backup or flash ROMs since they don't tend to work as well with Samsung devices as ODIN/heimdall.
Yes, do post the result of your output once you are done, so its helpful to others.
prahladyeri said:
You are right, boot.img has the monolithic kernel, however, a lot of drivers are available as separate modules in /system/lib/modules/, so you need to make sure that one is proper too.
In case of Samsung, I think it was probably a mistake to use TWRP/CWM to backup or flash ROMs since they don't tend to work as well with Samsung devices as ODIN/heimdall.
Yes, do post the result of your output once you are done, so its helpful to others.
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The kernel on this device does not have loadable module support. It's entirely monolithic. And, I'm having one hell of a time building a kernel this thing is willing to boot.
I really would love just to get a ROM from someone else's SM-G550T or SM-G550T1.
locked out by frp so i cant even turn on my sm-g550t1 so if you find the rom please let me know
bandtab said:
locked out by frp so i cant even turn on my sm-g550t1 so if you find the rom please let me know
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I found a copy of the MetroPCS version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VtvT1vGmlsMjNnR2JvYzk0MFU/view?usp=sharing
You flash this with TWRP recovery, because those are tarballs and can't be flashed with Odin etc.
You flash TWRP for the On5 onto your recovery partition, and then restore from that.
Subsentient said:
I found a copy of the MetroPCS version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VtvT1vGmlsMjNnR2JvYzk0MFU/view?usp=sharing
You flash this with TWRP recovery, because those are tarballs and can't be flashed with Odin etc.
You flash TWRP for the On5 onto your recovery partition, and then restore from that.
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Click to collapse
thank you!
however, i can't install twrp to my recovery partition anymore because i got FRP locked, and i can't go into my settings to disable it now. so i think my only option really is via odin. i'll see what i can do with this though, thank you very much. i did have twrp on there before but after i got frp locked i can't go into recovery mode at all.
I've been losing my mind trying to make this work.
I think if I installed the stock recovery.img it may work, but I can't find it in the files you sent. Would you or anyone else be able to make a copy of it for me? I would be eternally indebted to whoever could.
If you want to go back to stock then use the official samsung software. I got a s6 tht a friend of mine straight up deleted the rom (idk how they managed that) and it wouldnt take to being flashed in odin. I put it in download mode and provided samsung smart something with all the info it wanted and it installed the stock rom and everything.
holydude92 said:
If you want to go back to stock then use the official samsung software. I got a s6 tht a friend of mine straight up deleted the rom (idk how they managed that) and it wouldnt take to being flashed in odin. I put it in download mode and provided samsung smart something with all the info it wanted and it installed the stock rom and everything.
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unfortunately smart switch is incompatible with this model phone for the time being.
I got four of these from T-Mobile when we switched from Verizon ($120 for 4 lines). Three of our Verizon phones worked well on T-Mobile (after a few APN tweaks), but my dad's old Galaxy S3 barely worked at all, and when it did, only got Edge for data. So I set one of the On5 phones up for him.
Everything was going great. I put the TWRP recovery on it, rooted it, froze all the bloatware, and backed up/restored his apps from the old S3. However, he wanted me to see if I could restore all his SMS/MMS. I tried restoring that, and the stock Messaging app started FC'ing. I installed Textra, which worked (and saw the old messages), but he never received new texts (even though he could send). So I tried removing Messaging and Textra, as well as the SMS cache (which seemed to be in "Dialer Storage (Phone SMS/MMS). I removed it, but now I'm getting an error every five seconds about "com.android.phone" and can't seem to get rid of it. I tried to restore the dialer storage backup again, but it just seems to sit forever without installing.
I've looked far and wide for a stock ROM... hoping I could just put this mess behind me, but I'm surprised to find it is nowhere to be found.
My other alternative would be to fix the com.android.phone error, but nothing seems to fix it.
Which cynogenmod or any custom os suits for Samsung Galaxy on 5.......please tell me guys.....I am bored with this official os
I was really hoping to come back to this forum and finally see stock ODIN files for this phone. I really, really want to get rid of the MetroPCS ROM I used to fix it.
Has anyone been able to find it?
Hi. I'm just gonna say this first: I didn't know entirely what I was doing when beginning this operation. I was just trying to do something fun and new, and it didn't pan out. I fully acknowledge that I am an idiot.
Now, the story. I was attempting to root my LGV20 with this guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/how-to/root-h910-v10m-t3664500 .
I have read over this thread more times than countable and thought I was doing everything correctly. I got to the "STEP3.BAT" portion of the guide and long story short, my phone crashed during it and somehow got foobarred.
It *kinda* works (as in it will boot for around a minute) and then blue/black screen into a reboot.
Is there any way I can save this phone? Hard resets, going into software, more dumb computer stuff, anything. I don't *need* to get this phone working again but it would be really preferable.
Simultaneously I fully accept the responsibility in failing the operations. I know that somewhere I must have messed up. If no-one wants/ can help me, tell me so. Just means new phone time.
If any more detail on what happened is needed, tell me.
First off: that guide is ONLY for the H910 (AT&T) variant, so make sure with your model
and also, when you said a "blue or black screen" it also has very small writings too, right? If so, then you may have faced a kernel/bootloader panic
Technically your phone is *still* alive, and your best method is to start over again, assuming if you read the whole guide carefully then you have backed up your firmware and can still access download mode.
Flash your stock firmware back (or use the H915 firmware provided by the guide), wipe and setup your phone again, then root the phone again.
I also suggest replacing the TWRP recovery inside the provided Dirtysanta folder cuz that's what i did when i faced the kernel panic
MEMO#22 said:
First off: that guide is ONLY for the H910 (AT&T) variant, so make sure with your model
and also, when you said a "blue or black screen" it also has very small writings too, right? If so, then you may have faced a kernel/bootloader panic
Technically your phone is *still* alive, and your best method is to start over again, assuming if you read the whole guide carefully then you have backed up your firmware and can still access download mode.
Flash your stock firmware back (or use the H915 firmware provided by the guide), wipe and setup your phone again, then root the phone again.
I also suggest replacing the TWRP recovery inside the provided Dirtysanta folder cuz that's what i did when i faced the kernel panic
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Click to collapse
Thanks so much. Freaked out over this for a good bit. Came back, did what you said and we're back at that step fully working. Life saver.
Now my first guess as to why step3 failed is that i didn't have the latest version of TWRP. How can I set that up?
Inside the root package folder you can see an .img file named twrp 3.0.2-1- us996.img
What i did was downloaded a later version
(not latest cuz my phone won't boot at the latest version for some reason), copied the name of the original twrp and renamed it, paste it to the folder, overwrite the old one, and try to root it again
MEMO#22 said:
Inside the root package folder you can see an .img file named twrp 3.0.2-1- us996.img
What i did was downloaded a later version
(not latest cuz my phone won't boot at the latest version for some reason), copied the name of the original twrp and renamed it, paste it to the folder, overwrite the old one, and try to root it again
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Alright, i've done that now too. Thanks. Is there anything else i should/need to keep in mind to ensure failure is not going to happen? I want to make 100% sure I get everything right this time.
reptarien said:
Alright, i've done that now too. Thanks. Is there anything else i should/need to keep in mind to ensure failure is not going to happen? I want to make 100% sure I get everything right this time.
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No i don't think there is more things to do, the guide you're following is pretty much straightforward already.
100% guarantee is always a stretch here in XDA. But if you're still facing problems you can ask for help on that guide's thread.
MEMO#22 said:
No i don't think there is more things to do, the guide you're following is pretty much straightforward already.
100% guarantee is always a stretch here in XDA. But if you're still facing problems you can ask for help on that guide's thread.
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I really want to give up on this. This time I successfully made it through all Step 3, but I also noticed that my screen was kind of glitched and not rendering properly at that stage. After it rebooted, I unplugged my micro usb cable and it gave me an angry green warning message I will attach here.
If you/someone can tell me what to do with this message from here or instruct me on how to flash stock H910 10 q back onto the phone without doing TWRP (since i'm evidently incapable of installing it) I would be most appreciative.
Slightly better picture without anything cut off.
reptarien said:
I really want to give up on this. This time I successfully made it through all Step 3, but I also noticed that my screen was kind of glitched and not rendering properly at that stage. After it rebooted, I unplugged my micro usb cable and it gave me an angry green warning message I will attach here.
If you/someone can tell me what to do with this message from here or instruct me on how to flash stock H910 10 q back onto the phone without doing TWRP (since i'm evidently incapable of installing it) I would be most appreciative.
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Click to collapse
The screen glitching is normal, the green text after boot however is somehow not.
Sad to hear that it still didn't work, there something seems to be interrupting the process of rooting your phone. I dunno if it has something to do with ARB (anti rollback) preventing you to root
If you want to go back to your stock firmware that you backed up, you can:
-Carefully flash each file of your backed up firmware through adb and fastboot mode
-build a zip file of your firmware and flash through TWRP (since it didn't succeed tho)
MEMO#22 said:
The screen glitching is normal, the green text after boot however is somehow not.
Sad to hear that it still didn't work, there something seems to be interrupting the process of rooting your phone. I dunno if it has something to do with ARB (anti rollback) preventing you to root
If you want to go back to your stock firmware that you backed up, you can:
-Carefully flash each file of your backed up firmware through adb and fastboot mode
-build a zip file of your firmware and flash through TWRP (since it didn't succeed tho)
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Click to collapse
Could you reply with any links with a tutorial on how to do the first thing? Or describe it. Sorry for being so dumb i'm a total newbie lol
reptarien said:
Could you reply with any links with a tutorial on how to do the first thing? Or describe it. Sorry for being so dumb i'm a total newbie lol
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Unfortunately i can't find any guides when it comes to flashing the back up.
I did read something back then on turning it into a zip file, but even if you can build one you still need TWRP, in which case you haven't successfully installed, so that's no option
Flashing the backup files requires specific commands, especially to the part on what partition should it be flashed to
When LGUP backs up your phone's firmware, you can see a vast number of files(i can't remember how were they named, I'll look up a reddit post about it)
The files where named based on what partition it came fom (H910_modemxx_COM12, H910_system_COM12 or something like that)
These are image files, what i did as far as i can remember was rename these files by adding an IMG extension for ADB to recognize
Flash them according to it's partition name:
"Fastboot flash system H910_system_COM12.img"
"Fastboot flash recovery H910_recovery_COM12.img'
Etc.
To go to fastboot, turn off your phone and hold the volume down button , then plug your phone to the PC.
But i really cannot guarantee this, because for all i know, in order to flash this you need fastboot, and to get fastboot you need to root your phone, because only the engineering bootloader has it (i'm sorry if it's wrong tho), and flashing these files to fastboot might be a bit dangerous because it will not verify the files, there may be chances that you might flash a corrupted file. so flashing via LGUP is the safest option so far if you don't know what you're doing