After incorrect firmware, your phone may become inoperative, or as it is called on the Internet, it will become a "brick". Then the question arises of how to restore the Android brick yourself. Most sources will advise you to immediately contact the Service Center, but we recommend that you first try all the available "resuscitation" options. In this article, we will describe all sorts of options in order to make a functioning smartphone out of a "ripped" Android again.
Last updated article - 03/29/2018
We completely remove the consequences of an unsuccessful firmware
Let's start with the first few steps that will need to be done one by one. In order not to call Android “device” and other names, the word “phone” will be used in the future, so it is more convenient and understandable.
Reviving your phone / tablet via Recovery
If the phone is still on, turn it off. Then hold down the volume button and the power button at the same time. After this procedure, the smartphone will open double recovery menu ... Two options will be presented:
- Restore the backup (this item is the main requirement for the firmware, if the smartphone was flashed, then the backup was also restored). Select the early position of your system, then the backup will start in Backup and restore.
- Section Install zip from sd card allows you to start the firmware installation process. At this point, you need to specify the exact path to the archive with the firmware. This option deals with system recovery. Especially if the phone was turned off while installing important files.
You may also be interested in the article.
But sometimes, when the firmware is launched, it may not be possible to enter Recovery. Then the situation can be eliminated only by involving third-party programs... Typically this application TWRP Manager, ROM Manager or Installerwhich are the most popular in the field.
These programs allow you to select all the necessary components for a specific version of the operating system, automatically detecting the gadget and launching Recovery.
If none of these programs helped launch Recovery, then you can try to find a program that can run it on certain model smartphone.
Above, we discussed how to restore your Android if it still had chances of a painless "resurrection". Now let's consider what to do with it if the device was completely damaged and became a "brick" that does not function at all. If you think that this process is very difficult, then you should not immediately run to the workshop and pay the master, first try to do it yourself. Let's try to fix the situation on our own at home.
This instruction is based on the restoration of phones and tablets from Samsung. If you have a different brand of device, then you need to choose a different program or choose an option using FlashTool... Difficult to find the right one? Write to us in the comments - we will help you!
We carry out a few simple step-by-step actions:
- Install latest drivers USB for Samsung on PC;
- Download and install the most latest version programs Odin(https://w3bsit3-dns.com/forum/index.php?showtopic\u003d648344);
- Next you need download the official (not author's) firmware for your model;
- Turn off the device, then press "-" on the volume key and "Home".
After a while, a warning will appear.
- Press "+" on the volume key, after which the smartphone will enter Odin mode;
- After, we connect it to the computer;
- Launch Odin, then press PDA, then designate the file in it tar.md5 in the directory where the firmware is located;
- Next by clicking "Start", we run the recovery program, after which the smartphone will be ready for use.
In such a simple way, we returned the "brick" to the initial state normal functioning device.
- We charge the phone to the maximum so that it does not turn off during recovery (let it stand for a couple of hours on charging);
- Let's take a smartphone that has turned into a real "brick";
- Next, download official firmware in FTF format;
- Then you need to install the Flashtool program along with installation files firmware to your computer;
- If your antivirus program often swears at other programs, then it is better to turn it off for a while, so that it does not interrupt the firmware process.
Directly the operation itself to restore Android through Flashtool:
- Turn off Android;
- Place the FTF file with the firmware at: C: \\ Users \\ UserName \\ .flashTool \\ firmwares;
- After starting, select the correct PC bit (32 or 64);
- Press the key with lightning logo;
- Turn on the “ Flashmode”;
- Next, a drop-down window will appear in which you select the available firmware in this program;
- At the moment when the firmware is ready, the program itself will inform you that it is time to connect to the PC;
- First, the program detects the device and then the Android recovery will start. After everything is successful, a sign “ Flashing finished”;
- After that, the smartphone must be disconnected from the computer and everything will work.
Video instruction
Answers to your top 4 questions about Android resuscitation
Check serviceability installed drivers, if necessary, reinstall them, disable the antivirus. And the most commonplace - check the USB cable and connectors.
The smartphone turned into a brick as a result of a fall, and not because of a failed firmware. Can you save it yourself?
Operating android system on each individual device has its own system, that is, software components. If it happens that your device has become a "brick", then it is best to find instructions for a specific smartphone.
Most of the articles in the X-Mobile section are devoted to hacks and tweaks that require getting root rights, firmware modification or its replacement with custom. However, not every reader is ready to subject his smartphone to such operations, fearing that they can turn the device into a brick or lead to instability in work. Today I will debunk these myths and show that even in the most stalemate situation, it is not so difficult to bring a smartphone back to life.
Destroying myths
Let's talk about what it is all the same "to turn a smartphone into a brick" and what other pitfalls may await the user on the way to change the system and install custom firmware. What glitches can you catch and is it possible to kill a smartphone by flashing it incorrectly? Will you lose your warranty forever or can your smartphone be returned to its previous state? Can custom firmware fail the smartphone owner at the most inopportune moment and are they worth it?
Myth 1. Incorrect flashing can kill a smartphone
A fall from the fifth floor can kill a smartphone, but not a flashing. The main problem faced by anyone who wants to reflash a smartphone is that during the installation of the firmware, a failure may occur, which will lead to its inoperability, and the smartphone will actually turn into a brick.
All this is true, but only on paper. To understand why, it is enough to understand how the process of flashing a smartphone works and what system components are used in this case. To be able to install third-party firmware on a smartphone, you need to unlock the bootloader (not in all cases), get root and install a custom recovery console (ClockworkMod or TWRP) capable of installing firmware with any digital signature.
The Recovery Console is stored in a separate section of the internal NAND memory and is not connected in any way with the installed operating system. After installing a modified version of the console, it will be possible to flash custom firmware or even another OS (Firefox OS, for example). If a failure occurs during the firmware installation, the smartphone will not be able to load it, but the recovery console will remain in place, and all that needs to be done is to reboot into recovery and reinstall the firmware.
In addition, any custom recovery console contains a backup / restore function that allows you to back up the main firmware and restore it unchanged (with all applications, settings and data) in the event that something goes wrong. In fact, the smartphone can be returned to its original state.
You may be asking: what happens if a failure occurs during the installation of the Recovery Console itself? Nothing, in this case, the opposite situation will turn out when the operating system itself remains in place, and the console will be lost. To deal with it, you just need to re-flash recovery directly from Android.
Hypothetically, one can imagine a situation where both the firmware and the recovery console will be killed (although this is rather difficult to do), but even in this case, the primary bootloader will always remain in place, stitched into permanent memory smartphone.
Conclusion: It is impossible to kill a smartphone by installing third-party firmware via a custom recovery console. Either recovery or the primary bootloader will always remain in place.
Myth 2. Custom firmware is unreliable
Firmware firmware strife. In the open spaces world wide web you can find a huge number of Android assemblies for every taste and color, and most of them are really slag, which can lead to instabilities in the smartphone and the loss of some functionality. Therefore, the first thing to remember is that you should only deal with serious custom firmware developed by large teams of experienced developers. First of all, these are CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android, AOKP, OmniROM and MIUI.
Second. There are two types of firmware: officially supported and ported third party developers... The same CyanogenMod, for example, has an official version for the Nexus 4 smartphone, but does not have one for the Motorola Defy. But for Defy there is an unofficial port of CyanogenMod 11 from the developer with the nickname Quarx. Their difference lies in the fact that the CyanogenMod team is responsible for the support and proper performance of the former, while the latter is personally responsible for Quarx. Official firmware versions are usually fully functional, but the correctness of the second depends on a third-party developer.
And the third thing. There are stable and development versions of the firmware. Stable versions of CyanogenMod have an M index (CyanogenMod 11.0 M7, for example). This firmware version usually contains no bugs. Development versions (in the case of CyanogenMod, these are daily nightly builds) may contain bugs and therefore are not recommended for everyday use.
Conclusion: if you install a stable official version of "normal" firmware on your smartphone, the risk of encountering bugs is minimal. Everything else is for the experimenters.
Myth 3. Software that requires root privileges is capable of corrupting a smartphone
In theory, an app with root privileges can do whatever it wants with the smartphone's firmware, including erasing it completely. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful with such software. The software that we are talking about on the pages of the magazine is completely safe and tested in its own skin. In addition, for the entire time of using smartphones on Android (and this is starting from version 1.5) I never did not come across a situation where rooted software would kill a smartphone.
Software distributed through Google play, usually fully meets the declared characteristics, and if it led to a brick or left a backdoor in the bowels of the smartphone, it would not last a week in the store. In any case, here you need to follow the rule of "trust but verify" and carefully read the instructions for using root applications.
Myth 4. Root rights make a smartphone vulnerable to viruses
It is not root permissions that make a smartphone vulnerable to viruses, but bugs used to obtain them. Rooting tools and viruses can exploit the same Android vulnerabilities to gain root privileges, so the mere fact of having root on a device doesn't change anything. A well-written virus will not ask for rights in a standard waybetraying his presence, he will instead use the same vulnerability to get them stealthily.
Moreover, having root, you get the opportunity to install a fresh android version (in the form of custom firmware), in which these bugs have already been fixed. Also, do not forget that most custom firmwares allow you to disable root or create whitelisting applications that can use these rights.
Myth 5. A rooted smartphone can fail.
The software designed to get root does four simple things: it launches an exploit that allows you to get root privileges on the system, mounts the / system partition in write mode, copies the su binary to the / system / xbin directory, which is required to get root privileges in the future, and installs a SuperSU or SuperUser application that will take control every time an application asks for root privileges with su.
None of these steps can crash or kill the smartphone. The only thing that can happen is that the exploit will cause a segmentation error and the smartphone will reboot, after which it will continue to work normally.
Myth 6. Getting root and installing custom firmware will void my warranty
The warranty is lost not from the very fact of getting root, but because of its discovery by the service center. Most devices can be unrooted using the Universal Unroot app or by reinstalling the stock firmware using the manufacturer's official app.
There are, however, two exceptions to this rule. The first is the Knox system pre-installed on new smartphones and samsung tabletssuch as Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3 and Note 10.1. Knox delivers an enhanced level android securityresponding to any firmware modifications and installation of third-party kernels and firmware. In the event that the user performs these actions, the system sets up a trigger that confirms the fact of modification. The trigger is implemented in hardware (eFuse chip), so you won't be able to reset it to its initial position. On the other hand, it is not entirely clear whether service center on this basis, to repair the device. Second: the eFuse chip is installed on some other devices (for example, smartphones from LG), and it also allows you to accurately determine whether the smartphone has been rooted or flashed.
If we talk about custom firmware, everything is more complicated. Usually, a flashing operation requires unlocking the bootloader, and this can be done either using special exploits or using the web service of the smartphone manufacturer. In any case, the unlocked bootloader will definitely indicate that the smartphone did not belong to a blonde.
On some smartphones it is possible to lock the bootloader back, but you should learn about this separately, and also keep in mind that a newly locked bootloader will most likely receive the Re-locked status, and not Locked, as it was originally (this is the case on HTC smartphones, eg). The only exceptions here are smartphones and tablets of the Nexus line, the bootloader of which can be locked and unlocked in three clicks without any dancing with a tambourine, and no one will pick on anything.
INFO
On Linux, ADB and Fastboot can be installed separately from the Android SDK. On Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install android-tools-fastboot. Fedora: sudo yum install android-tools.
To prevent Knox from interfering with root applications, it can be disabled using the following command from a terminal: su pm disable com.sec.knox.seandroid.
conclusions
Getting root and flashing a smartphone are absolutely safe operations that cannot turn a smartphone over for purely technical reasons. The only exception is an attempt to hack the bootloader to unlock it. In this case, the eFuse chip (if there is one in the smartphone) may work and block the ability to turn on the smartphone.
Fortunately, today smartphone manufacturers either prefer not to block the ability to turn on a smartphone with a hacked bootloader (by setting a trigger indicating the fact of such an action, as Knox does), or they implement a special web service that allows you to painlessly unlock the bootloader with the loss of the smartphone warranty. which saves users from having to risk breaking the bootloader.
Problems that may arise when flashing
So, now let's talk about what problems can arise with getting root and flashing and how to deal with them.
Scenario one: after an unsuccessful flashing, the smartphone stopped loading
An unsuccessful flashing can be caused by several factors: the battery has run out and the firmware is only half filled, the firmware turned out to be faulty or intended for a different smartphone model. In the end, there was simply not enough space on the smartphone, which can happen when trying to install a fresh version of Android on a smartphone three or four years ago.
Outwardly, all these problems usually manifest themselves either in endless smartphone resets to the manufacturer's initial logo, or in the so-called boot loop, when the boot animation spins on the screen for more than five to ten minutes. Problems with the screen (multicolored ripples) and a non-working touchscreen are also possible, which also prevent the use of the smartphone.
In all these cases, it is enough to do one simple thing: turn off the smartphone by long pressing the power button, then turn it on with the volume down button held down (some smartphones use a different combination), and after you get into recovery, reinstall the firmware (Install zip from sdcard - \u003e Chooze zip from sdcard) or restore the backup (Backup and restore -\u003e Restore). Everything is easy and simple.
Scenario two: firmware works, but recovery is not available
This can happen after a failed installation or upgrade of the Recovery Console. The problem is that after restarting the smartphone and turning it on with the volume down button held down, a black screen appears, after which the smartphone is either reset or freezes.
Solving this problem is not easy, but very simple. You can install the recovery console on the vast majority of smartphones using the TWRP Manager, ROM Manager or ROM Installer applications. They themselves determine the model of the smartphone, download and flash the desired recovery without requiring a reboot. If you cannot restore the console with their help, it is enough to find instructions on install recovery to your device.
Scenario three: neither firmware nor recovery is available
To be honest, it's hard for me to imagine such a scenario, but, as practice confirms, it is quite real. There are two ways to get out of this situation: use fastboot to upload recovery to a smartphone, or use a tool from the manufacturer to install the stock firmware. We'll take a closer look at the second method in the next section, and I'll talk about fastboot here.
Fastboot is a tool that works directly with the device's primary bootloader and allows you to upload firmware to your smartphone, recover and unlock the bootloader (in Nexus devices). Fastboot support is available in many smartphones and tablets, but some manufacturers are blocking its use. So you have to consult the Internet about its availability.
To access fastboot, you need drivers and Android SDK. When they are installed, open command line, go to the SDK installation directory, then to the platform-tools directory, turn off the smartphone, turn it on with the volume buttons held down (both) and connect it with a USB cable to the PC. Next, you need to find the recovery image in the .img format for your device and run the command:
$ fastboot flash recovery image.img
Or even force the smartphone to download recovery without actually installing it:
$ fastboot boot image.img
In the same way, you can flash official firmware update:
$ fastboot update update-file.zip
You can find a recovery suitable for your device either on the TWRP website, or in the XDA-Developers and w3bsit3-dns.com forums.
We return the smartphone to its original state
In this section, I'll talk about ways to return a smartphone to a clean drain, no matter what state it is in. These instructions can be used both for splitting up the smartphone, and for removing traces of rooting and flashing. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you about all the possible models, so I will focus on the four most popular flagships: Nexus 5 (I call this instance the control one), Galaxy S5, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z2.
Nexus 5 and other Google phones
Returning Nexus devices to their original state is easier than any other smartphone or tablet. In fact, it is so simple that there is nothing even to talk about. In fact, all you need to do is install the ADB / fastboot drivers (in Linux, even they are not needed), download the archive with the firmware and run the script. Step by step, the whole operation looks like this:
- from here.
- Download and install the Android SDK.
- Download the archive with the firmware for the desired device from the Google website.
- Turn off the device, turn it on with the volume buttons held down (both) and connect using a USB cable.
- Unpack the archive with the firmware and run the script flash-all.bat (Windows) or flash-all.sh (Linux) and wait for the operation to complete.
- We launch the command line, go to the directory with the Android SDK, then platfrom-tools and execute the fastboot oem lock command to lock the bootloader.
For those wondering what the script does, here's a list of commands:
Fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-DEVICE-NAME-VERSION.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash radio radio-DEVICE-NAME-VERSION.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash system system.img fastboot reboot-bootloader fastboot flash userdata recovery recovery.img fastboot flash boot boot.img fastboot erase cache fastboot flash cache cache.img
Galaxy S5
With the Galaxy S5 smartphone, things are a little more complicated, but generally quite simple. This time, you will need the Samsung Odin application, with the help of which the smartphone will be flashed. Sequencing:
- Download and install the latest Samsung USB drivers from here.
- Download and install the latest version of Odin from here.
- Go to samfirmware.com, enter the model SM-G900F in the search, find the firmware marked Russia, download and unpack it.
- Turn off the smartphone and turn it on with the volume down and Home buttons held down, wait five seconds until a warning message appears.
- Press the volume up button to put the smartphone into Odin mode.
- We connect the smartphone using a USB cable.
- Launch Odin, press the PDA button and select the file with the tar.md5 extension inside the directory with the unpacked firmware.
- Press the Start button in Odin and wait for the firmware to finish.
As I said, this operation will return the smartphone to its original state, but it will not reset the trigger, system installed Knox (if it was in stock firmware). Therefore, the service center may refuse to repair.
LG G2
Restoring the LG G2 to its factory state shouldn't be too problematic either. The number of steps in this process is somewhat larger, but by themselves they do not require special training and knowledge. So, what to do to return the factory firmware to the G2:
- Download and install ADB Driver Installer from here.
- Download the official firmware (Europe Open 32G or Europe Open) from here.
- Download and install LG Mobile Support Tool and FlashTool (goo.gl/NE26IQ).
- Turn off the smartphone, hold down the volume up button and insert the USB cable.
- Expand the FlashTool archive and run the UpTestEX.exe file.
- In the window that opens, select Select Type -\u003e 3GQCT, Phone Mode -\u003e DIAG, in the Select KDZ file option, select the firmware downloaded in the second step.
- Press the CSE Flash button at the bottom of the screen.
- In the window that opens, click Start.
- In the next window, select the country and language and click Ok.
- We are waiting for the end of the firmware, and then turn off and turn on the smartphone.
It's all. But keep in mind that, as is the case with Samsung, the smartphone will still have Rooted status, and this cannot be fixed.
Sony Xperia Z2
Now let's talk about how to return the Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone to the factory state. As with the previous two cases, this will require a stock firmware and an official firmware utility. You run the utility on your PC, connect your smartphone with a USB cable and start the update process. Step by step it all looks like this:
- Download and install ADB Driver Installer from here.
- We reset the smartphone to factory settings.
- Download and install Flash Tool from the Sony official website and the latest firmware from here.
- Copy the firmware file to the C: / Flashtool / Firmwares directory.
- Turn off the smartphone and turn it on with the volume down and Home keys held down.
- We connect the smartphone to the PC using a USB cable and launch the Flash Tool.
- Press the button with the lightning icon in the Flash Tool. In the window that opens, select Flashmode, double-click on the firmware in the list that opens.
WARNING
On many smartphones, a jailbroken bootloader will prevent over-the-air updates.
In 90% of cases, unlocking the bootloader will result in the deletion of all data from the smartphone, including the memory card.
conclusions
Flashing a smartphone, and even more so getting root access, are not at all such terrible and dangerous operations as they might seem at first glance. If you do everything correctly and do not resort to tools that unlock the smartphone's bootloader bypassing the manufacturer's tools, it will not be possible to turn the smartphone over. Yes, in some cases you will have to tinker in order to put everything back in place, but which is better - to use a locked smartphone, which does not allow you to do even half of the things that it is capable of, or to gain full control over the device? Finally, reinstall Windows on the PC does not scare anyone.
This guide is dedicated to everyone who was unable to successfully reinstall the system on their tablet. In other words, you will learn how to update the firmware on your tablet if it stops turning on after reinstallation. Do not be discouraged and do not rush to give your device to a service center - you can "revive" it at home without resorting to special equipment like programmers. We will look at a method that is applicable to many Android tablets.
How to change the firmware on an Acer, Samsung, Lenovo tablet, etc.
It happens that after the firmware has not been successfully replaced files in the Android system partitions, the device starts to freeze when the brand name appears on the screen (for example, the Acer logo). There are two main ways to "demolish" unsuccessful firmware tablet:
Install factory firmware on Android platform 3 or 4.
- Carefully disassemble the tablet and close the contacts (requires certain knowledge and utmost care).
It is also important to note the types of cases when the tablet does not turn on after the firmware:
After updating the firmware, the device does not boot and freezes at the logo, then the screen goes blank. What is remarkable, the computer perfectly sees the tablet if the latter is connected via a USB port. In case of such a malfunction, it is enough just to download the firmware file to the root folder of the microSD card and start the installation.
- A more difficult situation: it is impossible to recognize and turn on the tablet on the computer (the device is not detected by USB). In this case, as mentioned above, you need to disassemble the tablet and close certain contacts... If you do not have sufficient knowledge, then you need to take the device to the master.
So, let's take a closer look at how to restore a tablet after an unsuccessful firmware:
1) You need to download the factory Android firmware from the Internet, if you do not have one (another common name is zero android firmware). What's great about it is that it doesn't remove many of the apps installed on the tablet.
2) Rename the zero firmware file to “update.zip” (it is important that all letters in the file name are small!). This file must be placed in the root folder of your memory card, which is then inserted into the tablet. How to copy the file to the card in this case? Use a card reader to insert a card into it and add update.zip to the root of the microSD card using a computer.
3) Be sure to charge your tablet. It is desirable that the charge level is 100%.
4) Turn off the device, insert the card into it and turn on the tablet by simultaneously long pressing the "volume +" and "power" buttons. Release the buttons and wait while the zero firmware is installed in the tablet. Typically, the installation process takes about 8-10 minutes.
1. Use memory cards with a higher grade (8 to 10). This will make the firmware process faster and more reliable. How to find out the class: a certain number is always marked on the memory card (2, 4, 6, 8 or 10).
2. Try not to initially install programs and games in system folder Android. When installing zero firmware, all data from this folder is deleted, and then you will have to reinstall applications.
3. Sometimes, when updating the firmware in this way, an unforeseen situation arises: an Android icon appears with exclamation mark, and the installation process is aborted. What to do? Most often the reason for this is a memory card that was formatted on a computer in a standard Windows format. Therefore, in order to avoid such situations, download in advance useful program for formatting - HPUSBF. It will help reformat the USB flash drive to desired format for Android.
Instructions
Usually, this kind of malfunction is solved in one way - by replacing software tablet or flashing. And here it would seem that everything is simple, but we know little about the tablet. That is why it is nameless, that it is impossible to find any information on its name. Therefore, the first step is to determine what processor is this device running on... To do this, you have to get inside the tablet.
The designs of tablets can be very different, so here you can limit yourself only to general recommendations on how to open your particular model.
Look carefully around the perimeter, along the side edges of the tablet for screws. If there are any, unscrew them. If there are any plastic pads or inserts, try to separate them by picking up with something sharp but not hard (a plastic knife, for example). Next, try to pick up the back cover and walk around the perimeter, separating it from the front. It is convenient to do this with an unnecessary plastic card - it does not scratch the case and, at the same time, is hard enough to open it.
When the tablet case is opened, define the processor model... The processor is most often the largest chip on motherboard tablet computer... For example, in this photo the processor model is WM8850 (position 1). This is a fairly common inexpensive chip in Chinese tablets.
You may need touchscreen controller modelsince sometimes, after installation, it may turn out that the tablet boots up and works, but the touchscreen does not. In the photo, the controller (position 2) is called EKTF2127. This is also a fairly common microcircuit. Typically, the touchscreen controller is located near the loop that connects the touchscreen to motherboard.
Also look at large inscriptions on the motherboardthat are not related to any specific element (position 3). Perhaps it will be the board version, its number, or even the manufacturer's name. This information will make it easier for you to find the correct firmware.
Android tablets support several flashing options: via the network, from a computer and from microSD card... The most suitable option in our case is update using bootable microSD card... To do this, you need to find a suitable firmware, load it onto a memory card, restart the tablet and wait until the installation of the operating system is complete. Therefore, the next step is to find a suitable firmware. The performance or malfunction of the tablet depends on how successfully you can find it.
Type in a search engine a request with all the data that you found for your tablet. For example, for the case under consideration, the request may be as follows: w70 WM8850 firmware... And the very first links in Yandex search results lead us to desired result.
Read these sites, look for what works best for your chinese tablet... Usually, such thematic forums provide detailed sequential descriptions of the software update process for various devices and provide links to firmware, both official (factory) and unofficial (developed by enthusiasts).
Hello everyone.
I want to tell you about the restoration from the state of a complete brick of my teXeT tablet TM-9750HD nee Teclast P98HD. I bought it for 7,590 rubles at home in Chelyabinsk, a tablet with a Retina screen and an RK3188 processor for such a price immediately attracted me. For a couple of days I honestly sat on the stock firmware from the texet, but although AnTuTu showed 18,500 thousand parrots on it, the interface brakes and the lack of some things the developer needed were forced to look at custom firmware.
After a short search, 2 candidates were found. One from the site w3bsit3-dns.com, on Android 4.2.2 which, by the way, I was even delighted to call it good firmware, the other on Android 4.1 from the rockchipfirmware site and it was a fatal error, let's call it bad firmware. First, using RKBatchTool, I rolled good firmware, and I had to calm down but there is no limit to perfection. The fact is that in a good firmware there were several droplets and one big fly in the ointment. He rebooted 1, 2 times a day at the most inopportune moment for no reason, it terribly pissed me off. Then I decided to try the bad firmware. RKBatchTool wanted to warn me that this is a bad idea by persistently giving an error, but I did not give up, then using rkflashtool and Ubuntu forcibly flashed the images kernel.img, misc.img, recovery.img, boot.img, system.img, parameter by offsets written in file parameter. After rebooting, the tablet stopped showing any signs of life. It did not turn on, and was not detected by USB in any operating system... Was not included in any recovery modenor in the bootloader. After sitting for a week without a tablet. I realized that I needed to fix it and started looking for information on how to restore it from the hard brick. After two days of searching, the keyword MaskROM was found - this is the mode into which the processor enters when it does not find flash memory chips, and since flash memory is not needed to switch to this mode, in fact, you can do anything with the tablet. From the freaktab site from Finless Bob, a user familiar to many for firmware for dongles on RockChip processors, I found instructions for restoring an MK808 dongle by closing pins 8 and 9 to enter from MaskROM. There was nothing else to do and had to open the tablet.
As a little radio amateur I know that it is not worth closing any contacts just like that. Therefore, I decided to first find out about the flash memory that was installed in my tablet. I had a Micron 29F64G08CBABA. Most importantly, I learned that in my case it was necessary to close contacts 29 and 30.
It's time to act. Armed with an eye scalpel that was bought specifically for parsing the tablet, I started the operation. The instructions found said what was needed:
1 - close the leads of the flash memory chip with a sharp object
2 - connect the tablet to the computer via USB
3 - and turn on the tablet
4 - open the pins of the microcircuit when the tablet appears in the list windows devices.
Having done as it was written in this instruction, I did it. The tablet appeared in the list of devices, but why did it immediately disappear. Half a day poking a scalpel into these microcircuits. As a result, I found out that on my tablet the power button must be kept constantly pressed only then it will not disappear. Having prepared myself, I launched RKBatchTool and rolled a winning good firmware. At the end, RKBatchTool reported success. The tablet rebooted and a boot animation appeared. There was no limit to emotions. Now the tablet is in good health, it just keeps rebooting for no reason. Development companies are in no hurry to release updates.
The article was written for enthusiasts like me, I am not responsible for broken tablets.
