Related
This is a program I wrote a while back that allows transparent tethering over USB without requiring root access. It works by simulating an unencrypted OpenVPN server and then internally running everything through a Java-based NAT. I get decent speeds off it, but your mileage may vary. It's a bit beta! Might explode! Wear eye protection!
It has a really basic website at http://lfx.org/azilink/, but to spare your eyes I'll just paste the instructions below:
Required files:
- ADB from the 1.1 SDK or from http://lfx.org/azilink/adb.zip
- OpenVPN 2.1 (not 2.0) from http://openvpn.net/index.php/downloads.html
- AziLink.apk from http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.apk
- AziLink.ovpn from http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.ovpn
Installation:
1) Install OpenVPN on the host. I use version 2.1_rc15, but any version should work. Apparently if you use version 2.0 you'll need to remove the NO_DELAY option from the AziLink.ovpn configuration file. You can find OpenVPN at:
http://openvpn.net/index.php/downloads.html
2) Enable USB debugging on the phone. From the home screen, this is under
Settings>Applications>Development>USB debugging.
3) Install the Android USB driver (if you don't already have one installed).
See http://code.google.com/android/intro/develop-and-debug.html#developingondevicehardware
4) Install the program. You can either use ADB to install by typing
"adb install azilink.apk" with the file in the current directory, or you can browse (on the phone!) to: http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.apk
Either way you might need to allow installation from unknown sources
under Settings>Applications>Unknown Sources.
Configuration steps:
1) On the host, run "adb forward tcp:41927 tcp:41927" to set up port forwarding. Be sure to use adb from the Android 1.1 SDK! The version from 1.0 will lock up under heavy load. If you don't want to download the entire SDK, you can get a copy of ADB+drivers from http://lfx.org/azilink/adb.zip
2) On the phone, run AziLink and make sure "Service active" is checked.
3) Right click AziLink.ovpn on the host (not in the web browser!) and select "Start OpenVPN on this configuration file." You can find this file at: http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.ovpn. If you're using Linux or, god forbid, MacOS, you'll also need to manually set the nameserver to 192.168.56.1 (the phone's NAT IP address).
Nice work around.
Wow, amazing work! I'll definitely have to mess around with this tomorrow...
OpenVPN 2.0.9
Thnx for the manual..!! Took me something to get it working, i'll find out, that it isn't working with OpenVPN version 2.0.9
OpenVPN 2.0.9 doesn't recognize the following rule in azilink.ovpn:
socket-flags TCP_NODELAY
And it worked with version 2.1rc15...
So no more Internet Sharing on Windows Mobile...
OpenVPN 2.0.9
Thnx for the manual..!! Took me sometime to get it working, i'll find out, that it isn't working with OpenVPN version 2.0.9
OpenVPN 2.0.9 doesn't recognize the following rule in azilink.ovpn:
socket-flags TCP_NODELAY
And it worked with version 2.1rc15...
So no more Internet Sharing on Windows Mobile...
help
Ok I'm a complete noob and I've played about with this but can't get it to work. How do I run adb? As in the very first step? Where do I type that. Do I need to install adb and how do I do it?
Thanks
Got it working
Man this is awesome.
I realised i needed to run the adb from cmd. see when i tried to open adb.exe it just kept closing.
thanks alot. this rocks
ps im writing this off my tethered pc
zecbmo said:
Ok I'm a complete noob and I've played about with this but can't get it to work. How do I run adb? As in the very first step? Where do I type that. Do I need to install adb and how do I do it?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, you can just unzip adb and run it directly from that folder. It's a command line program, so you'd need to run it from a command prompt (cmd.exe). I'm not sure whether adb needs to run as an administrator or not (I disable all that UAC garbage in Vista). If you have the proper driver installed, then the ADB command should return immediately without saying anything. If it says "waiting for device..." that means it wasn't able to find the Android debug driver.
I know this is all a bit hacky, but now that we've got root and wifi tethering I figured that there wouldn't be too much interest.
cheers
its working great like. im using this cus i havent rooted my phone yet. tethering was the only reason why i wanted to root it but this is a great alternative
Works Great. Thanks for the easy instructions.
Here is translation of post on Russian with images http://androidteam.ru/faq/azilink-tethering-with-android-usb.html
I have repacked all in one zip, and make some command files to make process a little easy.
another trick that may help on XP machines, probably other versions as well.
Create a shortcut to adb.exe on your windows desktop (mine is located in C:\and\tools)
Modify the 'target' (right-click,properties) of the shortcut to read C:\and\tools\adb.exe forward tcp:41927 tcp:41927 <I think this is the right code, I'm still using tetherbot on 1080>
That's it. Once everything's set up connecting is easy. one click on the computer, no cmds required
does this allow for media such as flash on web site to play on the laptop?
clevetbs said:
does this allow for media such as flash on web site to play on the laptop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've got enough bandwidth. I'm not really sure what bitrate flash video runs at though.
Many thanks for this, aziwoqpd. I've not had the time to root, but have been looking for an easy way to tether. A usb connection is great, since the battery drains so quickly anyway it's nice to keep a charge going.
sonikamd - thanks for the suggestion, it's a great idea. Unfortunately my XP doesn't want to accept your syntax. I wish I could offer something else, but my skills (ha!) are nonexistant. I'm embarassed to say that I had to refresh my memory on how to maneuver around command lines...
Got any other suggestions?
Thanks again for all your work!
the AziLink.ovpn file wont download for me.
works fine for me, GREAT WORK!
Okay, so I'm trying this out on a mac. I've successfully built openvpn and have my tunneling device (/dev/tun0, /dev/tun1, etc.). I run the adb forward command and it starts the daemon successfully, I fire up azilink on the phone and it says it's waiting for the connection, I fire up openvpn and the phone changes to stating that it's connected. Openvpn does not exit out - it starts the tunnel - BUT in the logging it reports " ROUTE: problem writing to routing socket" twice (which oddly appears to be a non-fatal error to the application), and traffic is unable to flow. I'm guessing it's something about openvpn not correctly manipulating the darwin routing tables, but I've been unsuccessful thus far in figuring out the nature of the problem so I thought I'd check here.
I'm running the straight azilink openvpn config file, which means if I need any syntactical changes for darwin I haven't applied them. The openvpn documentation is not terribly good and I was unable to find any documentation of routing command differences for MacOS (if that's even the problem, of course).
Edit: I forgot to mention, I've been trying to ping known-good IPs by address to test the routing - after my first attempt at loading a web page failed I figured it best to remove name services from the possible list of problems. The bytes sent count was slowly incrementing (up to about 23K bytes in ten minutes of diagnosis), and the inbound count got up to about 900 bytes in the same period, so clearly *something* was getting through - unless those counters are counting all traffic into and out of the phone and just going over the cable - but I got no ping responses, no websites could load, and by all appearances from the terminal, no data was moving.
lindsayt said:
I'm running the straight azilink openvpn config file, which means if I need any syntactical changes for darwin I haven't applied them. The openvpn documentation is not terribly good and I was unable to find any documentation of routing command differences for MacOS (if that's even the problem, of course).
Edit: I forgot to mention, I've been trying to ping known-good IPs by address to test the routing - after my first attempt at loading a web page failed I figured it best to remove name services from the possible list of problems. The bytes sent count was slowly incrementing (up to about 23K bytes in ten minutes of diagnosis), and the inbound count got up to about 900 bytes in the same period, so clearly *something* was getting through - unless those counters are counting all traffic into and out of the phone and just going over the cable - but I got no ping responses, no websites could load, and by all appearances from the terminal, no data was moving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The byte counters only include traffic that OpenVPN is forwarding, so something is making it over. Did you try changing the DNS server to either 192.168.56.1 or an external address like 4.2.2.2? OpenVPN on MacOS and Linux won't set the nameserver automatically.
Also, there's a bit of a problem with pinging. The app on the phone can't generate ICMP ping packets since it isn't running as root. When you send an ICMP ping, the phone translates it to a UDP ping, sends it, and translates the reply back to a ICMP ping. Unfortunately, probably about 50% of hosts don't reply to UDP pings. Some that I've tested with that do work are lfx.org and he.net.
I'll see if I can give it a quick test on a Mac sometime tomorrow.
EDIT: I managed to get it working, although T-Mobile's so-called "transparent" web proxy is barely working today so I was having trouble accessing websites without getting errors. SSH was working fine, though. Anyway, here's what I did:
1- Installed a MacOS port of OpenVPN called Tunnelblick (didn't have XCode handy to compile my own and it's got a pretty GUI)
2- Copied azilink.ovpn to /users/azi/library/openvpn or whatever it is
3- Click the Tunnelblick icon in the upper-right, go to details, click "set nameserver"
4- Remove the TCP_NODELAY line because it was complaining that my kernel didn't support it (and would cause my connection to timeout after about 30 seconds).
5- Clicked connect
If you want to see what traffic's going over openvpn, you can just run "sudo tcpdump -n -i tun0"
wow ... this works great ... tested using a german G1 under linux (arch 686), win vista (x64) & win xp (x86) ... pretty good speed and low latency (actually i can't notice any latency at all - no mather if using wlan or 3g)!
GREAT WORK!!!
I was able to work out a hack which will allow desktop level flash in the Surface browser, even on sites that are not approved by Microsoft. So if there is a site that you like, but flash doesn't work, because Microsoft hasn't deemed it worthy enough yet, here's a way to manually enable Flash. (For those who aren't aware - only Microsoft approved sites are allowed to use Flash - its not universal - a site apparently has to be approved and put on a list for Flash to work - basically Microsoft censors the content that you see based upon whether or not the site meets their "criteria")
This hack is for the desktop Surface browser, not the metro Surface browser.
The downside with this hack is that, so far it appears that it only works for one website at a time.
Major disclaimer that you've heard a million times before - Tinkering with the registry has its risks - If you screw something up don't blame me.
How to do it:
1. Start
2. Swipe up from bottom and Select: "All apps" on bottom right menu
3. Select: Command Prompt
4. type regedit at the cursor and press enter
5. User account control appears - Do you want program to make changes - Yes
6. Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
7. Make Sure "Internet Explorer" is selected then go to "Edit" and Select "New" and "Key" from the menu that appears.
8. The New Yellow Key folder will appear on the file tree - name it: Flash
9. If you click View and Refresh, the new Key "Flash" should be just below "Feed Discovery" in the tree.
10. Make sure your new key "Flash" is selected (the only assigned value at this point will read: "Default")
11. Now go to Edit/New and select "String Value" Name the new value DebugDomain
10. Double Click the new string value. Edit box will open. In the field: "Value Data" put the domain of your website for example "www.myflashcrippledsite.com"
11. Click OK Close Regedit and your done.
12. In the Desktop Browser Make sure the setting ActiveX Filtering is unchecked. (Right side of browser where there are the Home, Favorites and Gear icons - select the little round Gear (tools icon) and then Safety and then uncheck ActiveX Filtering
View attachment 1439531
Now try browsing your site -might have to restart the browser or refresh your page - its worked for me without a restart of the computer but you might need to restart the Surface itself (Right swipe, Settings, Power, Restart.)
If you have problems, make sure you use the right domain for your website for example www.microsoft.com not http//www.microsoft.com
Also remember this works in the Desktop version of the browser not the metro version accessed from the Start screen.
And like I said above, make sure you don't forget to uncheck "ActiveX Filtering" or Flash still won't work.
For now, to view another site, you need to change the DebugDomain value to the domain of your new site - pretty quick once the key has been made, and shouldn't require a restart of the computer. Tomorrow I'll see if there's a way to put multiple DebugDomain keys.
Sorry if this is unclear, I just figured this out then typed it at 2:30 in the morning. I've tested it on a couple of sites with success. But this is still very experimental, haven't done much testing as its too late - more tomorrow.
But I'm simultaneously thrilled and annoyed at this - because after seeing how well flash works on many crippled sites, it makes me really angry that this function isn't on by default and I have to jump through ridiculous hoops just to get flash to work.
Awesome, have a script!
Works for me with just a page reload; thanks!
I wrote some scripts to automate this (scripting being the easiest way to do third-party code on Windows RT); see the attached file. You'll either need to run the EnableFlash script as Admin every time, or run the SetFlashRegPerms script as Admin just once first. If you put the EnableFlash script in a location that is in your PATH, you can easily launch it from any cmd or Powershell prompt.
I love Love LOVE that Windows RT can be scripted, and that people can run stuff as Admin so easily.
Dear all, I have just found a better solution to this problem.
See the thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=33414039#post33414039
This works on all websites you manually add, as many as you would like without the hassle of going trough the registry.
Wow I go to bed at 3:00 AM and by breakfast there's already a script for my solution as well as an alternative solution - gotta love XDA.
Thank you GoodDayToDie and Marvin_S for responding so quickly. I noticed Marvin_S started a new thread to fully explore enabling flash by editing the whitelist - sounds like a good alternative.
I feel much more positive about the Surface now - Lack of Flash support was one of the biggest negatives for this device and it was really bothering me.
And its nice to see that we have easy control over the OS in terms of changes and improvements - a big plus and bodes well for the Surface's future.
Pictures can be found in my album. I will work on this post more later, just wanted to get something up before I went to bed.
[See Picture 1]
I purchased a 128G Surface Pro and Touch Cover a few days ago. I backed up the recovery partition, and made a clone with Acronis so I can always put it back to how it was the day I pulled it out of the box. I did the firmware update, then wiped out Windows 8 and replaced it with Server 2012. This is my experience with it...
[See Picture 2]
It took a few tries to get the Surface to boot off a USB stick, but after formatting it to FAT32 and copying the Server 2012 files from the ISO, the install started right up. The install was fairly quick! I didn't time it, but it didn't seem like it took more than 20 minutes (could have just been that "new toy" excitement).
If you have a ".edu" address, you can get Server 2012 and other products (depending on your school) for free from Microsoft by creating an account at DreamSpark
Since Server 2012 is based on Windows 8, this provides me with a lot more functionality, while not losing much in terms of the features from Windows 8. I installed Windows Deployment Services (WDS) so that I can install different versions of Windows over the network without burning ISOs or carrying CD binders. This does eat up some space, but I think it is well worth it.
[See Picture 3]
I then installed Hyper-V so that I can create virtual machines to test the deployments. I created a basic machine with no hard drive and set it to boot off the network.
[See Picture 4]
Sure enough, it booted from WDS. I have a bootable version of Acronis so that I can clone a customer's computer before I wipe it out. This Acronis image lets me save to a network share, which I created on a external USB drive plugged into the Surface. For the Windows Setup option, I just picked the 32-Bit boot.wim from the Windows 7 DVD (I know the screenshots show Win 8, I went back and changed it). You can use a boot.wim from any Windows disk, I just like the 7 start animation better.
[See Picture 5]
A boot.wim from a 32-Bit disk will show list both 32-Bit and 64-Bit options, whereas the boot.wim from a 64-Bit would only show 64-Bit options. You can see both listed under the "Architecture" column.
[See Picture 6]
I then created a share on the Surface for common programs that I usually install after a computer is reloaded. I only selected the top and bottom two because the middle three are empty placeholders at the moment.
[See Picture 7]
So with all of the images I added to WDS, and the Hyper-V virtual machines, I still have 75gigs of free space!
[See Picture 8]
I didn't look to see how much free space I had before I started, but according to this website, out of the box it has 83gigs free. For all the features Server 2012 provides over Windows 8 and what I have loaded on it... I am perfectly happy with only using 8 more gigs.
There were a couple issues that I ran into... Anyone who works on servers or uses a computer that is connected to one knows that you have to do the three fingered salute (Ctrl + Alt + Delete) to login. Well, what if I don't always have my Type Cover handy? You can click on the "Ease of Access" button and bring up the tiny Windows On-Screen Keyboard (not the large Surface keyboard that takes half the screen), or you can disable that "security feature" (read: annoyance) in Group Policies.
[See Picture 11]
Another thing I noticed is that when I pressed the power button, nothing happened. Well, I wanted it to sleep or at least turn off the screen. So looking at the Power Properties, the only options are "Do Nothing" and "Shutdown". Well, thankfully Group Policies saved me again...
[See Picture 13]
The only issues I have remaining is that the orientation sensor isn't working, which isn't a big deal for me, but I am still going to try and fix it. Same thing with the light sensor that automatically controls the brightness.
Some notes...
I really liked the quick boot time, and wanted to try and avoid installing Active Directory. I did all the above while keeping the server on a workgroup and not making it a Domain controller. It still goes from off to Lock Screen in under a minute.
I set the Hyper-V and WDS services to Manual and just turn them on when I need them. This reduces processor and ram usage.
I still wanted to be able to use this as a tablet for class, so I installed the "Desktop Experience" feature and created an account for me so I'm not always running on Administrator. This provides extra security by prompting for the Administrator password if someone attempts to change settings or install a program. This also lets me install applications from the Store (running Store under Admin gives a error message).
You'll see Internet Information Services (IIS) installed in the screenshots. I have not done anything with this yet, but I might make another post about what I'm doing with it later ^__^
Future
Future 2
Future 3
Last one
For what it's worth, you can get Hyper-V on Win8 (Pro or Enterprise); you don't need Server anymore. Still, there are a lot of other things that server grants, although most of them aren't much use on a personal machine.
Salutations folks,
Before you get ready to get your flame on, I'm NOT asking about the STATUS of a RT Windows 8.1 Jailbreak. I'm posting about jailbreaks in general. I'm from a linux/android background. I got an Asus Vivotab RT LTE (AT&T version) for a steal off 1Sale. Before I even looked into doing anything with my tablet, I updated it to 8.1. Then I finally got around to looking into running desktop apps on Windows RT (not knowing how it all worked with RT vs desktop), I ran into the issue of not being able to run them (duh, right?). Then I found out about jailbreaking. So.. do you HAVE to jailbreak to run desktop apps? As I understand it, we currently have to run 8.0 to jailbreak/run desktop apps, yes? Well.. I obtained the Asus recovery files to downgrade my 8.1 to 8.0. On a whim, I updated my 8.1 with the 8.1 big spring update (basicly 8.1.1). I seem to be able to run some of the ported desktop apps without any problem. Am I missing something? How'd my tablet manage that without having run the jailbreak? And jailbreak doesn't work on 8.1 anyways? Before anyone says I'm full of it.. (you can click the thumbnail for full pic)
(windows rt 8.1 with 8.1 spring update installed)
(windows rt 8.1 running desktop 7zip)
(windows rt 8.1 running desktop putty)
(windows rt 8.1 running desktop notepad++)
Can anyone clarify if I'm missing something or I've come across an anomaly or even a blessed relief?
Thanks.
This is sure amazing
1. Can you run *any* unsigned application or only a few work (and the rest throw signature errors?)
2. Check the status of Secure Boot in PowerShell. Run as admin, "Get-SecureBootPolicy", press enter (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj603043.aspx)
3. Could you detail exactly your process? I understand that you did the following:
(On 8.1) Run unsigned desktop app, fail with digital signature error.
(Downgrade) Downgrade to 8.0 -> (On 8.0) Run Jailbreak -> Run Desktop Apps and they work.
(Upgrade) Upgrade to Windows RT 8.1 (via Store?) -> Upgrade to 8.1.1 (Spring Update) via Windows Update -> Run Desktop Apps and they work (partly or all of them?)
4. I'm not sure if it'd be any useful, but perhaps you could look in your EFI system partition (mountvol S: /s) as there has been a previous report of Asus leaving debug tools in VivoTab RTs before (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2477285). If you could retrieve a "debug" version of Secure Boot Policy from your EFI partition then it means that Secure Boot has just disabled itself on your tablet. It's highly unlikely, however, since you weren't able to run desktop apps in your original 8.1 install...
jimmielin said:
This is sure amazing
1. Can you run *any* unsigned application or only a few work (and the rest throw signature errors?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only grabbed the ported Putty, 7zip and Notepad++ desktop apps as those were the only ones that I was needing.. Oh I recently grabbed the FileZilla one too. All ran without any problems and never got any signature errors. Hell.. even my 7zip integrated into the shell and replaced archive icons with 7zip archive icons and opens my archives by default with the desktop app. Were there any particular applications you wanted me to try so that I can see if I can replicate any signature errors?
jimmielin said:
Check the status of Secure Boot in PowerShell. Run as admin, "Get-SecureBootPolicy", press enter (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj603043.aspx)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SecureBoot is enabled and it displays a Publisher GUID. Confirm-SecureBootUEFI confirms SecureBoot is enabled too.
jimmielin said:
3. Could you detail exactly your process? I understand that you did the following:
(On 8.1) Run unsigned desktop app, fail with digital signature error.
(Downgrade) Downgrade to 8.0 -> (On 8.0) Run Jailbreak -> Run Desktop Apps and they work.
(Upgrade) Upgrade to Windows RT 8.1 (via Store?) -> Upgrade to 8.1.1 (Spring Update) via Windows Update -> Run Desktop Apps and they work (partly or all of them?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm
- Received clean OEM install Vivotab RT LTE with RT 8.0
- Upgrade to Windows RT 8.1 via Store
- (attempted to run some ported desktop apps, received error)
- was going to downgrade back to 8.0 after getting Asus recovery files but instead..
- Upgrade to RT 8.1.1 (Spring Update) via Windows Update
- (attempted to run some ported desktop apps, ran successfully, no errors)
NOTE: Not once had I ever gotten around to downloading or installing the Jailbreak. Is there some way to confirm if I have the jailbreak installed at startup or something?
jimmielin said:
4. I'm not sure if it'd be any useful, but perhaps you could look in your EFI system partition (mountvol S: /s) as there has been a previous report of Asus leaving debug tools in VivoTab RTs before (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2477285). If you could retrieve a "debug" version of Secure Boot Policy from your EFI partition then it means that Secure Boot has just disabled itself on your tablet. It's highly unlikely, however, since you weren't able to run desktop apps in your original 8.1 install...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I copied a SecureBootDebugPolicy.p7b (dated 02/13/2014 @ 3:19PM) file from there. From what I was reading, I take it that's a good thing? (click thumbnail for full pic)
SecureBootDebugPolicy in the certificate manager tool
what is the icon that next on the left of action center (bottom-right, triangle flag) and at the right side of OneDrive?
hisoft said:
what is the icon that next on the left of action center (bottom-right, triangle flag) and at the right side of OneDrive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USB/SD eject (I have SD card I keep in the slot for extra storage)
thesawolf said:
USB/SD eject (I have SD card I keep in the slot for extra storage)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job ASUS :good:
If you were able to retrieve a SecureBootDebugPolicy.p7b that is functional, it probably means that there was a Debug policy on your device at some point? (ref. Original Thread on ASUS). I've just looked into my Surface RT and there's a file with that name too, but it cannot be opened (it's simply an empty 0-byte file) and probably you're another lucky one who has a debug policy. (However it can't be explained why Get-SecureBootPolicy shows that you're using a production policy? Does it show the production policy GUID that TechNet says is normal, or something else? Policies don't disable secure boot, Confirm-SecureBootPolicy showing true is perfectly normal even in debug.)
Would it be possible to share this SecureBootDebugPolicy.p7b and then we'd able to see if there is someone else with a VivoTab RT that could test it? I assume it's locked to your device but it's always worth a try.
Could anyone else with experience working with Secure Boot look into this? While it's probably a lucky isolated case, it's nevertheless promising...
Just to double check: does anybody else have a Vivo Tab RT with 8.1u1 they could check this against? It would be amazing / hilarious if the update disabled signature enforcement. The question would then be whether that was Microsoft's idea or Asus's...
Oh, and one other quick test: grab a built-in program (CMD.EXE or Notepad.EXE, for example) and make a copy of it to somewhere you can edit it (like the desktop). Open the file in a hex editor (if needed, copy it off the tablet first) and change something unimportant, like a few characters in a string (not a file path, more like "is not recognized as an internal or external command..." or some such thing) to some other value that has the same number of characters. Save the file and try running it on the tablet again. The idea is that this will be an EXE with an *invalid* signature (as opposed to just being unsigned) and that would be very surprising if it works... but this whole thing is surprising!
GoodDayToDie said:
Just to double check: does anybody else have a Vivo Tab RT with 8.1u1 they could check this against? It would be amazing / hilarious if the update disabled signature enforcement. The question would then be whether that was Microsoft's idea or Asus's...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried it on a VivoTab RT LTE (AT&T) with u1 -- ran 7z ARM and it failed on signature verification.
I would never run another update on that device. Don't want to patch up the botched update.
Sent from my Z10 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I wonder if there's some way to take a full image of your current installation (possibly using a backup utility?) that can be restored onto other peoples' tablets. Even better would be if the relevant bits could be extracted from your image and carried over to other tablets (such as Surface RTs, Surface 2s, Lumia 2520s, etc.) but that may be harder. Still, worth investigating more...
Was it new or used when you got it? And if it was used, is it possible the original owner JB'd it and it stuck through the update?
Sent from my HTC6600LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
GoodDayToDie said:
I wonder if there's some way to take a full image of your current installation (possibly using a backup utility?) that can be restored onto other peoples' tablets. Even better would be if the relevant bits could be extracted from your image and carried over to other tablets (such as Surface RTs, Surface 2s, Lumia 2520s, etc.) but that may be harder. Still, worth investigating more...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should be able to use dism.exe. Not sure if it will capture the online image, but you can definitely use it in recovery mode. Should be able to capture with new-windowsimage too. Going to try it out real quick and report back... I would choke puppies for this image.
---------- Post added at 11:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:35 AM ----------
Okay it you can't capture the online image. You'll need to have a USB drive with enough space to capture the whole thing. Make sure you either suspend bitlocker or make sure you have a copy of the recovery key handy (It's 48 decimal digits).
Boot to the recovery partition (it doesn't matter if it's on the local storage or a USB key - it can even be the same USB key you will copy the disk image to if you have enough free space).
Choose language, troubleshoot, advanced, command prompt (I think - point is, you want a command prompt).
Verify the drive letters are what you expect them to be (internal storage is c, usb disk is d, ramdisk is x).
run: dism /capture-image /ImageFile:d:\winrt81u1.wim /CaptureDir:c:\ /Name:WinRT81U1vivotab
Let it finish. It will take a while. Probably a long time since it's writing to USB 2.0 flash storage. Bet on an hour. You probably want to make sure it's plugged in to power (but you're not writing anything to the local storage, so you won't break anything if it goes dead).
Upload that wim file to skydrive and share it with me!
Sjflowerhorn said:
Was it new or used when you got it? And if it was used, is it possible the original owner JB'd it and it stuck through the update?
Sent from my HTC6600LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is impossible, the 8.0 jailbreak was performed in memory and it not written to the disk.
Toxickill said:
That is impossible, the 8.0 jailbreak was performed in memory and it not written to the disk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha, I haven't JB'd mine yet, so I have no idea how it works. Apparently I'm Windows ShmeShmarted and can't make a bootable flash drive that contains the rollback. And coming from android devices where everything sticks except for some very select mods/devices I just figured it might be possible.
Sent from my HTC6600LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Sjflowerhorn said:
And coming from android devices where everything sticks except for some very select mods/devices I just figured it might be possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me, that's what all RT owners would WANT to have. Although there's many reasons to jailbreak a device, I personally prefer feeling like I've gained full control of hardware I own. The in-memory jailbreak was good, but it didn't have that satisfying feeling of permanence you often get with an Android rooting / OS replacement.
southbird said:
Believe me, that's what all RT owners would WANT to have. Although there's many reasons to jailbreak a device, I personally prefer feeling like I've gained full control of hardware I own. The in-memory jailbreak was good, but it didn't have that satisfying feeling of permanence you often get with an Android rooting / OS replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Until the carrier gets to your device and locks the bootloader (AT&T)
I actually preferred the in-memory jailbreak in many ways. It meant we couldn't modify system files or run unsigned code for a couple minutes after boot, but it also meant we could trivially easily "un-jailbreak" and we could install updates with no fear of them destroying anything. Even the huge 8.1 update, which broke the jailbreak *process*, could be started on a device which was already jailbroken without causing any harm (unlike, say, many iOS jailbreaks).
I agree. I liked that the 8.0 jailbreak wasn't permanent but also exceedingly simple to install at boot. It meant that sending my Surface RT back to my Microsoft under warranty had no problems at all.
Lumen_Melano said:
I agree. I liked that the 8.0 jailbreak wasn't permanent but also exceedingly simple to install at boot. It meant that sending my Surface RT back to my Microsoft under warranty had no problems at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The in-memory Jailbreak is great when you hard brick your Surface and take it to the Microsoft Store. They just gave me a new one with no problems at all.
For those of you missing Windows 8.1, congratulations, you just found the solution.
Download
OneDrive http://1drv.ms/1SGHo5e
MEGA https://mega.nz/#F!ks8gjaZT!oQx3xt9ET0nXe8JbKDvtsA
Features
1.Windows is fully updated as of February 2016.
2.Surface February update included (solves most speaker popping issue)
3.Based on Surface Pro 3 image. Full stock-like Surface branding (desktop background, out-of-box experience).
4.Windows activates with the embedded product key. Fully legit. I cannot guarantee if yours couldn’t activate though.
5.Bloat free with about 3 GB saving: (Microsoft devices are shipped bloat-free? Think again.) | Only 6 metro apps included (Camera, IE, OneDrive, PC Settings, Photos, Store). The rest can be downloaded from Store | Trial Office removed | Speech data removed.
6.Languages included: English, French, Spanish. Since it is Windows 8 Pro, you can download any other language later.
7.Fully working refresh and reset functionality.
8.WinRE from vanilla Windows, touchscreen driver included.
9.Pagefile takes less space: 400 MB. It can grow to up to 8 GB, a reboot brings it back to 400 MB.
10.Various Windows tweaks | File Indexing paused on battery | Verbose messages, you get more information in boots and shutdowns | No startup programs delay | non-certified DLNA devices are supported | Custom resolution script added (open C: drive, its there. Just double click.) | "Get Windows 10" system tray icon disabled.
11.Some drivers from S3, SP3, SP4, and other OEM devices (kudos to them for releasing their Skylake devices with Windows 8.1 drivers).
12.Latest Intel iGPU driver (version 4380 Beta).
NOT working
1.Windows Hello. As expected, Windows 8.1 does not support Windows Hello.
2.The buttons are mapped differently | Power --> Volume Down | Volume Up --> Power | Volume Down --> Start
3.Surface app | You cant adjust pen sensitivity | You can't configure the pen top button action through the app. You can still customize it manually with AHK.
FAQ
Q: Camera app crashes / BSOD
A: You need to disable the IR camera. You can do that either via the BIOS or Device Manager.
Q: The pen button doesn't work after the first setup
A: You may need to re-pair the pen. Go to PC Settings > Bluetooth and remove the Surface Pen. Create a new pairing by pressing the pen top button for 7 seconds, it will show up on the Surface, and just pair it.
Q: How did you get the embedded Windows 10 product key to work with Windows 8.1?
A: Actually I have no idea. It just worked.
Q: Are the "not working" issues going to be fixed?
A: For the buttons, its up to Microsoft to release a Windows 8.1 compatible driver, and we have no other source as Microsoft has modified Intel's driver. If you know how to remap the buttons (either via editing the driver, Registry, or AHK), please share it with us and I will include it in the next version. For the Surface app, I believe it is simply because the Windows 8 version of Surface app was not updated for the Surface Pro 4 (and will never be), so don’t expect that one.
Q: Why did you go with the beta driver for the graphics?
A: The latest release version, 4352 and 4364, are practically unusable. I experienced blank screen in video playback and some random BSOD. No choice really.
Q: When Intel has released the new driver, do I need to wait for the next version of the ROM?
A: No, you can just download and install it yourself without waiting for me to upload an updated ROM. The new version should pop up here, download the ZIP version for Windows 8.1, and install it using the "Have Disk…" method. Step-by-step guide http://www.windowscentral.com/how-install-intel-beta-graphics-drivers-surface
Q: How do I remap the pen buttons manually?
A: Go browse /r/Surface in Reddit, they have comprehensive guides on how to use AHK with the Surface Pen.
Q: Do I need to wait for your next ROM to get Windows updated?
A: No, you can just update normally via Windows Update
Q: You idiotic luddites should just upgrade to Windows 10 rather than shoehorning Windows 8 to the cutting-edge device that clearly does not deserve the old, ****ty Windows 8. Also, I am a Windows 10 fanboy.
A: Before you get angry and all that, I actually *do* want to upgrade to Windows 10. I mean, how cool is that to login with your face? However, it is hampered by quite a lot ergonomic usability issues, bugs, and the general quirkiness of Tablet Mode. As of today, Tablet Mode is nowhere near final. Not even the Task View has proper animation in Tablet Mode, it already tells how half-assed the Tablet Mode is.
How to install
BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP!!! This will format the entire disk. No data will be preserved! Its also advised to remove the microSD card during the process.
0. Get a keyboard and USB hub if you don’t have the Type Cover.
1. Download and extract the package
2. Set up the ISO image on a CD or USB stick. If you use Rufus, set it on "MBR for UEFI computer" (only for the USB stick, the Surface will be set up as GPT)
3. Boot it on the Surface
4. Enter cd /d D:\scripts
5. Enter diskpart /s part.txt
6. Enter apply D:\Images\install.wim D:\Images\winre.wim
7. You can repeat the step #6 just to be sure
8. Reboot, unplug the USB stick.
Signed up on xda just to express my gratitude for this great tutorial and release. Everything worked a charm with full touchscreen support and I am so glad to finally have Windows 8.1 on my Surface Pro 4! No more forced windows updates sucking up my bandwidth, more free space on my hard disk, and the only gaming app that I use for my ps2 games (PCSX2), finally runs at 60fps (can you imagine on windows 10 the emulator would drop between 40-50 fps)!!! Thanks again for making my day!
ptrkhh, did you by any chance figure out how to configure the power and volume buttons???
For now I'm using volume up button to turn the tablet on and off and the power button to turn the volume down.
Fan-damn-tastic!!!
Like the other person above, I made an account just to express my EXTREME gratitude for the amazing work that was done.
I just got myself a surface book for dirt cheap, fantastic device, horrible OS. I'm not one to shy away from randomly screwing with things, so on my research for windows 8 installs for the Book, I found this absolute GEM of a post.
Downloaded the image, and threw it on my Surface Book and here's what happened:
a) installed flawlessly
b) activated instantly
c) everything that works on the Pro, works on the book. The keyboard and mouse work too!!!
d) The BIG one... the DETACH...... IT WORKS!!! Hold the detach button like normal, and, granted it seems to take a second or so longer than it did on Win10, but it releases JUST fine.
e) the dual batteries. I didn't test it for long, but Win8 seems to drain the base battery and leave the tablet battery alone.
f) the power /vol buttons do the same thing as the pro4, but i really don't care. Actually, the Book doesn't have a windows button on the tablet, so the vol down button doing that is actually a HUGE plus for me. Screw the volume controls!
g) i have not figured out the nvidia drivers yet, but i also haven't tried too hard yet. So that's a negative so far.
h) Front camera does weird infared things. It will be disabled.
I would imagine even if i get the dual gpu to work, if i start a program with the nvidia, and disconnect the screen, it will probably go all fubar and need a hard restart. The latch seems to run independently from the rest, and without software watching it, it WILL do what you tell it to, period. (my assumption, haven't tried it yet)
Battery life has not been tested much yet.
Device manager shows 2 unknown devices. I'm assuming one is the GFX card, the other one, probably the detatch button. If that's not it i have no idea. Really don't care though.
Updates pick up on new driver versions just fine. (again, so far)
I have the i5 version w/dual gfx. I have no idea what will and won't happen with the i7, the i7 with nvidia, or the newest performance base with the better nvidia gfx. I doubt much will be different, but much as I did, proceed at your own risk!
I hope this was useful, and if it was, let everyone know it works!!!!
If anyone wants, I can post an update after I finish setting it up, and had some real-life usage of it. If not, my feelings will not be hurt!
Awesome!
Works almost perfect on my Surface Pro 4.
But somehow it cannot auto rotate and the touch keyboard is not popping up (even in metro apps).
Does anybody know how to fix that?
Edit: you have to reboot and remove the keyboard before windows boots to get it working.
The OneDrive link is dead, can you get a new link? Mega isn't working for me
Would this work on a surface 3?
Surface pro 4 BSOD
Hi, I have the i5 version surface pro 4 and when i use the image above or a fresh copy of windows 8.1 pro it finishes installing then blue screens with internal power error. Any ideas as to get past this.
Cheers
I have the same problem.
When it finishes installing, I get a blue screen saying there is a problem with the BCD. I tried booting with a Windows 10 ISO to use the startup repair tool to fix it, but it says it can't. I've tried it 3 or 4 times; it did work once, but I wanted to try a different Windows, so I wiped it. Now I can't get it to work again. I did all the diskpart stuff, and the apply, all seemed to work until final boot = bsod. The apply.cmd is supposed to do the configuring, I think. Anybody else had this problem?
Surface Pro 4 factory restore
Hi" have you tried going to the Microsoft site and downloading the factory image. Just take the ISO and make into USB bootable. It will install everything and recreate all partions. Hope this helps.
Does anyone know If this will work on Surface pro 6????
I ran into an issue with my Surface pro 6 that gives me the BSOD every time I connect my type cover!!! I tried everything! I ran all the diagnostics and went through almost every safe steps and was able to fix the corrupted files. I even did all the driver diagnostics!!! It is very frustrating because I even did a factory reset and I'm still having the same issue... I'm hoping to be able to safely downgrade to Windows 8.1 to see if it fixes the issue, then upgrading to Windows 10 again. That's the last thing I can think of.
Does it work on SP4 2017???
I have the same problem.
When I tried to install this ROM on my Surface pro 4 2017, it gives me the BSOD.
Commands do not work, it says right no the first: "The system cannot find the path specified"
i also have the same problem on my surface pro 6
How to install a version of 8.1 on SP4-SP6
If you get that INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR, you most likely have a Kaby Lake processer which only supports Windows 10. The only version of 8.1 that works on a Kaby Lake Surface Pro 4+ is Windows Server 2012 R2.
asking for drivers
ptrkhh said:
For those of you missing Windows 8.1, congratulations, you just found the solution.
Features
1.Windows is fully updated as of February 2016.
2.Surface February update included (solves most speaker popping issue)
3.Based on Surface Pro 3 image. Full stock-like Surface branding (desktop background, out-of-box experience).
4.Windows activates with the embedded product key. Fully legit. I cannot guarantee if yours couldn’t activate though.
5.Bloat free with about 3 GB saving: (Microsoft devices are shipped bloat-free? Think again.) | Only 6 metro apps included (Camera, IE, OneDrive, PC Settings, Photos, Store). The rest can be downloaded from Store | Trial Office removed | Speech data removed.
6.Languages included: English, French, Spanish. Since it is Windows 8 Pro, you can download any other language later.
7.Fully working refresh and reset functionality.
8.WinRE from vanilla Windows, touchscreen driver included.
9.Pagefile takes less space: 400 MB. It can grow to up to 8 GB, a reboot brings it back to 400 MB.
10.Various Windows tweaks | File Indexing paused on battery | Verbose messages, you get more information in boots and shutdowns | No startup programs delay | non-certified DLNA devices are supported | Custom resolution script added (open C: drive, its there. Just double click.) | "Get Windows 10" system tray icon disabled.
11.Some drivers from S3, SP3, SP4, and other OEM devices (kudos to them for releasing their Skylake devices with Windows 8.1 drivers).
12.Latest Intel iGPU driver (version 4380 Beta).
NOT working
1.Windows Hello. As expected, Windows 8.1 does not support Windows Hello.
2.The buttons are mapped differently | Power --> Volume Down | Volume Up --> Power | Volume Down --> Start
3.Surface app | You cant adjust pen sensitivity | You can't configure the pen top button action through the app. You can still customize it manually with AHK.
FAQ
Q: Camera app crashes / BSOD
A: You need to disable the IR camera. You can do that either via the BIOS or Device Manager.
Q: The pen button doesn't work after the first setup
A: You may need to re-pair the pen. Go to PC Settings > Bluetooth and remove the Surface Pen. Create a new pairing by pressing the pen top button for 7 seconds, it will show up on the Surface, and just pair it.
Q: How did you get the embedded Windows 10 product key to work with Windows 8.1?
A: Actually I have no idea. It just worked.
Q: Are the "not working" issues going to be fixed?
A: For the buttons, its up to Microsoft to release a Windows 8.1 compatible driver, and we have no other source as Microsoft has modified Intel's driver. If you know how to remap the buttons (either via editing the driver, Registry, or AHK), please share it with us and I will include it in the next version. For the Surface app, I believe it is simply because the Windows 8 version of Surface app was not updated for the Surface Pro 4 (and will never be), so don’t expect that one.
Q: Why did you go with the beta driver for the graphics?
A: The latest release version, 4352 and 4364, are practically unusable. I experienced blank screen in video playback and some random BSOD. No choice really.
Q: When Intel has released the new driver, do I need to wait for the next version of the ROM?
A: No, you can just download and install it yourself without waiting for me to upload an updated ROM. The new version should pop up here, download the ZIP version for Windows 8.1, and install it using the "Have Disk…" method. Step-by-step guide
Q: How do I remap the pen buttons manually?
A: Go browse /r/Surface in Reddit, they have comprehensive guides on how to use AHK with the Surface Pen.
Q: Do I need to wait for your next ROM to get Windows updated?
A: No, you can just update normally via Windows Update
Q: You idiotic luddites should just upgrade to Windows 10 rather than shoehorning Windows 8 to the cutting-edge device that clearly does not deserve the old, ****ty Windows 8. Also, I am a Windows 10 fanboy.
A: Before you get angry and all that, I actually *do* want to upgrade to Windows 10. I mean, how cool is that to login with your face? However, it is hampered by quite a lot ergonomic usability issues, bugs, and the general quirkiness of Tablet Mode. As of today, Tablet Mode is nowhere near final. Not even the Task View has proper animation in Tablet Mode, it already tells how half-assed the Tablet Mode is.
How to install
BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP!!! This will format the entire disk. No data will be preserved! Its also advised to remove the microSD card during the process.
0. Get a keyboard and USB hub if you don’t have the Type Cover.
1. Download and extract the package
2. Set up the ISO image on a CD or USB stick. If you use Rufus, set it on "MBR for UEFI computer" (only for the USB stick, the Surface will be set up as GPT)
3. Boot it on the Surface
4. Enter cd /d D:\scripts
5. Enter diskpart /s part.txt
6. Enter apply D:\Images\install.wim D:\Images\winre.wim
7. You can repeat the step #6 just to be sure
8. Reboot, unplug the USB stick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear ptrkhh,
Thank you very much. Without your excellent work, people can still not use SP4 installing Windows 8.1 or even Server 2012(based on Windows 8.1 framwork and also working with Windows 8.1drivers). Because there are many versions of both Windows 8.1 or even Server 2012, I was tring to collect the drivers that SP4 can work.It is hard to find touchscreen driver from vanilla Windows, and there so many drivers to test from S3,SP3,OEM. Could you please share the Surface Pro 4 drivers for Windows 8.1 separately, or give us a guide to lead to download each drivers. Hope you have a nice day
repo006 said:
Dear ptrkhh,
Thank you very much. Without your excellent work, people can still not use SP4 installing Windows 8.1 or even Server 2012(based on Windows 8.1 framwork and also working with Windows 8.1drivers). Because there are many versions of both Windows 8.1 or even Server 2012, I was tring to collect the drivers that SP4 can work.It is hard to find touchscreen driver from vanilla Windows, and there so many drivers to test from S3,SP3,OEM. Could you please share the Surface Pro 4 drivers for Windows 8.1 separately, or give us a guide to lead to download each drivers. Hope you have a nice day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thank you, it means a lot to me. Unfortunately I no longer have the device nor copies of the driver. Quite surprisingly many drivers are actually available online, you may want to consider using the software called "Snappy Driver Installer" (SDI), it is able to find drivers suitable for your device. The ones I formulated myself are under the folder "bastard drivers.rar", which is not many if I remember correctly.
For the touchscreen functionality in particular, it needs the graphics driver. Once you have the graphics driver installed, touchscreen should work instantly.
How much free ram is there after a fresh install?
I have ram shortage issues in Win10 with my 4GB Pro4. I'm not a fan of Win10 either but I sure wish I could just disable crap and free up the ram instead of downgrading.
Does the front webcam and mic work ok? I use mine frequently. Thanks!