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[HOW-TO] Unlock Bootloader and Root Using Linux

Hey all. Had a few issues trying to unlock and root my own phone on my Linux box, so I decided to post what I learned in the process in case anyone else visiting the forums runs into the same problem.
First, a little background on me, since I'm fairly new here at the xda forums (let alone to the Photon Q).
My foray into the Android world started with the OG Droid. The moment I held that baby in my hands, I knew I wanted to be a part of the community the Android platform would spawn. With the OG and the Droid3, I didn't do much more than help others find certain settings options, or explain how to perform a specific task. However, I learned some of the basics of theming during the last few days I had my D3 before I (sadly) traded it in when I switched from Verizon to Sprint.
When I switched carriers, I picked up the Samsung Transform Ultra, and I've been a major contributor in that arena, particularly over at the phone-specific area of androidforums. I've learned a lot in the time I've had the device, especially with creating flashable zip files and theming. I now look forward to seeing what all I will learn while contributing to the Photon Q community.
Now, before we get into the actual instructions, the obligatory Disclaimer:
I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN TO YOUR PHONE WHILE FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS! FOLLOW THIS GUIDE AND ANY HELP I OR OTHERS GIVEAT YOUR OWN RISK! THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!
These instructions assume you are starting with a new phone (meaning it hasn't been unlocked or rooted yet), are relatively familiar with root, are using Linux on your machine, and are fairly comfortable navigating your way around both the phone and PC. As of this writing (5-18-2013), I am running Ubuntu Linux 13.04 on my system, and am basing my instructions on such a setup. Also, the Android SDK and the 'tools' and 'platform-tools' portions from the SDK must be installed and up-to-date.
With all that out of the way, let's get into the guide, shall we?
To ensure the best chance for success, make sure the following applies:
USB debugging is on and the MTP option in "USB computer connection" is selected. This ensures that 'adb' and 'fastboot' will recognize the phone.
Unless otherwise noted, the instructions below assume the phone is connected to your computer via USB, and said computer has its own internet connection independent of the phone.
Before we begin, make sure to have the SuperSU zip downloaded to the root of the SD card (phone or external card), and the preferred recovery image downloaded and moved to the same location that 'adb' and 'fastboot' are in ("/home/user/androidSDK/platform-tools", for example).
CAUTION: If any other Android devices are plugged into your computer in addition to your phone, the 'adb' and 'fastboot' commands will affect ALL devices connected at the time!
To make the guide a little easier to follow, commands that need to be typed will be marked like this. Text to look for will be formatted this way.
Part i: Required tools and downloads:
Depending on which recovery you want to use, I recommend using the SuperSU made available at that recovery's thread. In the event that a SuperSU zip isn't made available, download one from one of the other recovery's threads, then download the recovery img you prefer.
TWRP v2.5.0.0 - thread/SuperSU - here recovery img - here
CWM v6.0.1.0 - thread/SuperSU/recovery img - here
OpenRecovery v2.05 - thread/recovery img - here
PART A: Unlocking the Bootloader
1. Follow instructions #1-6 on the how-to found here.
Open a Terminal window and type lsusb, then look for a line with Motorola PCS; copy down the ID number to the left of Motorola PCS because we will need it shortly (it should look something like 12ab:cd34, though your numbers will be different).
Using Terminal, type sudo gedit /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules. "gedit" can be replaced with your preferred text editor if you don't want to use it or don't have it installed.
Enter your sudo password, and add this line to the file: SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="12ab", ATTRS{idProduct}=="cd34", MODE="0666" GROUP="androiddev", SYMLINK+="android%n", changing "12ab" to match the left part of the ID number you copied down earlier, and "cd34" to the part to the right of the colon.
Save the changes made to the file, then close the text editor. Type sudo service udev restart to ensure both computer and phone recognize the changes that have recently been made (you may not need to re-enter your sudo password if you made the changes to "51-android.rules" quickly enough).
Now go back to the DroidLife (DL) How-To, and pick up at step #8. The only difference is that your Terminal window will look more like this:
(bootloader) 0123456789ABCDEF#0123456789ABCD
(bootloader) EF0123456789ABCDEF01234567#0123
(bootloader) 456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF012
(bootloader) 34567#0123456789ABCDEF012345678
(bootloader) 9ABCDEF
Helpful Hint: the first fourteen numbers on the first line are also your IMEI/MEID (0123456789ABCD in the example above), so if you need that, now's a good time to copy it down as well.
When entering the number in on Motorola's website, it's VERY IMPORTANT no white spaces are included in the number. Using the above example, the number should look like
Code:
0123456789ABCDEF#0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF01234567#0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF01234567#0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF[/COLOR][/FONT]
[*]After following the rest of the DL guide, your phone will reboot normally.
PART B: Installing recovery and obtaining root:
Before beginning this part, make sure your phone's battery has at least 20% (or there-abouts) charge remaining, or 'fastboot' will refuse to flash the recovery.
Open Terminal (if it's not already), navigate to where 'adb' is installed, then type fastboot reboot-bootloader or adb reboot bootloader to get the phone to reboot into the bootloader.
Once the phone is in the bootloader, type fastboot flash recovery <your-recovery-filename-here>.img, replacing <your-recovery-filename-here> with the name of the recovery you would like to use. For example, if you wanted to use TWRP, the above command would look like: fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.5.0.0-asanti_c.img. If the recovery installation was successful, you will get the following lines:
(bootloader) Variable not supported!
target reported max download size of 31457280 bytes
sending 'recovery' (7084 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.563s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 1.823s]
finished. total time: 2.386s
Note that the first line says "Variable not supported!". As long as "sending 'recovery'..." and "writing 'recovery'..." say "OKAY" beneath them, then this so-called error can be ignored in most cases.
While holding the Volume-up and Volume-down buttons, press the power button on the phone to reboot it and exit out of the bootloader.
When the options menu comes up, press the Volume-down button until "Recovery" is selected, then press the Volume-up button.
Once in recovery, make a backup of your phone, should you ever need to return to stock for any reason (such as an insurance exchange - since the first half of the guide voids the warranty ). Once that finishes, then flash the SuperSU.zip and reboot the phone.
If everything went well, there will be a super-user app in your app drawer, and root checkers will tell you that your device is rooted. Congratulations!
(Optional) After granting root access to a few apps that require it (such as Terminal Emulator when su is typed in, Titanium Backup or other app backup utilities, Root explorers, etc.), reboot the phone into recovery, and make a second backup of your now stock-rooted phone...mostly just for posterity, but also to keep from having to do it again in the future, should you ever choose to return to stock but want to keep root.
PART C: Wall of Glory
This guide would not be possible if not for the following people and their contributions:
Solust for his guide on the same process on a Windows machine.
arrrghhh for porting TWRP over for our phones, and his thread.
Skrilax_CZ for porting Open Recovery for our phones and his thread.
Shabbypenguin for porting CWM, his thread, and the SuperSU zips.
ChainsDD for the SuperSU app.
Motorola for the Photon Q!
Google for the Android mobile Operating System.
Droid Life for the guide on unlocking the Photon Q's bootloader.
If I've forgotten anyone or made any other mistakes, please PM me and I'll be sure to make the change.
Thanks for playing along! Hope others find this handy; I ended up having to figure most of this out the hard way. Either way, it's been a fun ride figuring out a new phone.

Root Nvidia Shield clarification

Hi after reading through the post on GitHub on how to simply root your shield I have a few questions that the tutorial doesn't make clear:
1)There are a ton of files at the top and not sure what to do with them...
2) There is a bit where it explains "On your computer, navigate into the directory containing this file and enter the following command:
fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz"
But it doesn't say that after you open the directory what you do with it?
Do you keep the window open and that's fine?
Do you type in it's location into command prompt before you type in: fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz?
Just a bit confused as to what all the files are and where I put them and how they have to be utilised etc
Just need clarification for peace of mind
wanted to post the link but forum won't let me yet

Root explanation
Hi here is the main walkthrough from github but as I said there are a few plot holes for people who are new.
If your SHIELD is already unlocked, you can skip this section.
SHIELD ships with an unlockable bootloader. The bootloader is locked by default, which prevents anyone (including yourself) from booting custom OSes and changing system partitions to potentially obtain extra privileges. This is a significant security feature: in the event that your device gets stolen, an attacker will not be able to retrieve your personal data or use your device if your lock screen has a password set.
By unlocking the bootloader, you allow anyone with physical access to your SHIELD to boot custom images and flash system partitions. This opens the way for an attacker to access your personal information or physically damage your device. For this reason, unlocking the bootloader will erase all your personal data like a factory reset does (so a potential thief cannot get it) and will also void your warranty.
If you know you really, really want to take these risks, here is how you unlock SHIELD's bootloader.
Switch your SHIELD off (long press the NVIDIA logo button and select Power off).
Power your SHIELD on while maintaining the back and home buttons pressed (these are the two buttons that lie under the big NVIDIA-logo button, on its left and right). Release them once you see the bootloader screen.
Connect your SHIELD to your computer using a USB cable.
On your computer, enter the following command:
fastboot oem unlock
This will display the unlock menu. Read the disclaimer and think one last time about what you are doing. This is your last chance to stop.
Use the back and home buttons to select your option. If you decide to continue, select Unlock and press the NVIDIA-logo button to validate. Your personal data will be erased and your device marked as warranty-void permanently.
Regardless of your choice, you will be back to the bootloader screen. Using the same buttons, navigate to Poweroff and select this to power your SHIELD off.
Rooting SHIELD
Now your bootloader is unlocked, but you still don't have root access. For this, we need to install SuperSU, and we will do so by booting a custom Linux image that will do this for us.
Power your SHIELD on while maintaining the back and home buttons pressed (these are the two buttons that lie under the big NVIDIA-logo button, on its left and right). Release them once you see the bootloader screen.
Connect your SHIELD to your computer using a USB cable
On your computer, navigate into the directory containing this file and enter the following command:
fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz
The kernel and ramdisk will be downloaded and started. You will see 4 penguins on your screen, and the message ROOTING SHIELD will appear. Shortly after, your device will reboot. Congratulations, you are rooted!
For some unknown reason USB debugging in Developer options might become unchecked after rooting. You will need to re-check it if you want to use ADB.
It is safe to perform the rooting operation as many times as you want (e.g. after an OTA). Your user data will not be erased by rooting itself, it is the act of unlocking the bootloader that does.
Is there anyone who can add a little to this to make it more simple for a noob like me?
I understand there is a file set that is at the top of the page and I downloaded the files which include zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz
but don't know how to utilise them etc
There are no videos on youtube of how to do it and if anyone can add just a few more steps so that I know where I'm going with this (don't want to brick my system).
I just want controller support installed like Tincore or gamekeyboard so I can unlock the potential of the games library on GooglePlay.
Thanks for reading.

you copy those two files "zImage_dtb" & "ramfs.img.gz" to the same directory your adb and fastboot executeables are (same directory you issued the oem unlock command from)
then navigate to the same directory you did the oem unlock from via command line then issue the command "fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz"
it's pretty simple but I can run you through a simple example of what I did
1)download android sdk
2)copy platform tools folder to a directory on c drive (exp c:\tools\ )
3)copy the 2 files above to the same folder along with cwm recovery(optional)
4)boot shield into fastboot mode (home+back+power)
5)navigate to the folder with adb, fastboot, and the above files in it.
Code:
cd c:\tools
6)detect if fastboot driver is installed with "fastboot devices" if result, then continue, if no result, then check if correct driver and check connection
7)issue oem unlock command and follow the onscreen prompts
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
8)restart device, after a full boot cycle(wipes data), power back into fastboot
9)issue the "rooting image" command, device with automatically reboot
Code:
fastboot boot zImage_dtb ramfs.img.gz
*10) optionally reboot back into fastboot and install cwm recovery
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
pretty simple

thanks for fast reply.
Ok so I have Two different versions of Android SDK (32 bit and 64 bit) which one do I use?
"copy platform tools to a directory on C drive (exp C:\TOOLS\)"
What are platform tools?
"copy the two files above to the same folder along with cwm recovery"
What two files? do you mean the zImage_dtb and ramfs.img.gz? Do they go into the C:\TOOLS\ folder?
"navigate to the folder with adb, fastboot, and the above files in it"
What do you mean by navigate? Do you simply mean open the folder or do I use a program to do this?
"Detect if fastboot driver is installed with "fastboot devices" if result, then continue, if no result, then check if correct driver and check connection"
What's fastboot devices? What does result and no result mean? What does Check driver and check connection mean? how dod I do that?
I'm confused by all the lingo, what applications I should be using and when exactly do I start using command lines etc
Thanks for help so far been great but I need step by step instructions eg
open folder, copy and paste file1 and file 2 to this folder
open application X
click import file 1 and file 2
type XXXXXX\root\cdrive into command
press enter
see?
I do not know what some of the words mean and how to do some of the stuff the tutorial says. It's jargon and I have all these files, in all these folders with no idea how to do this from start to finish.
Appreciate the help so far but you are dealing with a novice. I know the work won't take long but I need all the relevant info, in one list, with consistent language to ensure I do everything as it should be done.
Bless you sir and...
Good luck

If your confused by my instructions you need to wait for a "one click" installer, sorry.

gogul1 said:
Ok so I have Two different versions of Android SDK (32 bit and 64 bit) which one do I use?
"copy platform tools to a directory on C drive (exp C:\TOOLS\)"
What are platform tools?
"copy the two files above to the same folder along with cwm recovery"
What two files? do you mean the zImage_dtb and ramfs.img.gz? Do they go into the C:\TOOLS\ folder?
"navigate to the folder with adb, fastboot, and the above files in it"
What do you mean by navigate? Do you simply mean open the folder or do I use a program to do this?
"Detect if fastboot driver is installed with "fastboot devices" if result, then continue, if no result, then check if correct driver and check connection"
What's fastboot devices? What does result and no result mean? What does Check driver and check connection mean? how dod I do that?
I'm confused by all the lingo, what applications I should be using and when exactly do I start using command lines etc
Thanks for help so far been great but I need step by step instructions eg
open folder, copy and paste file1 and file 2 to this folder
open application X
click import file 1 and file 2
type XXXXXX\root\cdrive into command
press enter
see?
I do not know what some of the words mean and how to do some of the stuff the tutorial says. It's jargon and I have all these files, in all these folders with no idea how to do this from start to finish.
Appreciate the help so far but you are dealing with a novice. I know the work won't take long but I need all the relevant info, in one list, with consistent language to ensure I do everything as it should be done.
Bless you sir and...
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step by step instructions like that would take quite a long time to write. Its basically assumed that navigate is a straight forward instruction, namely, open My Computer, click C:\, click something else, etc etc. 32 bit vs 64 bit, again, you should know what your computer is running and use the correct one respectively.
The reason they dont issue novice instructions is for 1 reason only. People who such as yourself claim to not understand the "jargon" are also those who are more likely to make a mistake when rooting. This can lead to a completely bricked device, ie one that will no longer turn on and load up android, totally dead device. As far as the manufacturer is concerned, a bricked device unless bricked by one of their own updates on a non rooted shield installed correctly, is not covered by warranty. This leads said novice to accuse the tutorial writer of having something wrong in the tutorial when in reality they have clicked the wrong thing etc.
Either way, end result: dead device.
Rooting is not aimed at the novice. It is aimed at the advanced user.

Thank you
I understand that and appreciate the explanation. I can work my laptop and I know that my laptop is 32bit or 64bit but it did not say at any point that it was referring to my computer. It just said download the 32 or 64 bit version. Well I have to make sure what they are talking about before I go and try to root my device as I like clarification on everything I do so that I get it right (and don't brick it). At the moment the explanations are all over the place, some info here, another bit there and was hoping somebody could link it all for me and make sense of the order in which I would do things. I have installed graphic cards in my laptop, put custom firmware on to ipods, psp's, computer etc but this is my first foray into android territory and would like to get it right. I am trying to follow a video tutorial but my computer's reaction to driver updates for the ADB/Fastboot drivers is telling me my drivers are up to date and I'm not getting the error message his is. This means I'm not sure where to go as the situation is diffferent s He is trying to get motochopper working for shield so it will root the device and hoped it would do the same for me.
Hopefully some clarification will come sooner rather than later but won't venture fourth until I'm absolutely sure of what needs to be done.
Again, thanks for the help it is appreciated.:laugh:

Sorry for being so abrupt, it wasn't my intension, you are trying to learn. I will not give a step by step which I feel would be the best, yet potentially more dangerous option for you though.
The parts written in the "code" blocks are what you copy and paste into the command line. When I say navigate I mean by changing directory via command line. You can copy files with a graphical file manager as it's quicker but navigate could also mean graphically.
Google search how to tell if you are running 32 or 64 bit windows, there are better guides and videos than I would be able to describe in a few lines. I was assuming you had already unlocked your bootloader as it is required before root, I covered it as point of reference only.
Platform tools is a folder in the SDK, if you install the SDK you will see that folder where you install it.
Fastboot is the utility also in the SDK that you run from command line that's in the code blocks I posted. If you run the command it will either give a result saying a device is detected or it won't show anything (no result) and you have an issue. If you have a driver issue then that's a whole other problem with a specific forum topic for, but I also assumed you unlocked your bootloader which would require you have fastboot and driver issue resolved.
Main cause of my snappiness is it says the requirement (first line of what you quoted) is unlocked bootloader and you are asking questions about rooting (step two after unlocking bootloader) didn't realize you were stuck in step 0, trying to figure out where to start.

gogul1 said:
I understand that and appreciate the explanation. I can work my laptop and I know that my laptop is 32bit or 64bit but it did not say at any point that it was referring to my computer. It just said download the 32 or 64 bit version. Well I have to make sure what they are talking about before I go and try to root my device as I like clarification on everything I do so that I get it right (and don't brick it). At the moment the explanations are all over the place, some info here, another bit there and was hoping somebody could link it all for me and make sense of the order in which I would do things. I have installed graphic cards in my laptop, put custom firmware on to ipods, psp's, computer etc but this is my first foray into android territory and would like to get it right. I am trying to follow a video tutorial but my computer's reaction to driver updates for the ADB/Fastboot drivers is telling me my drivers are up to date and I'm not getting the error message his is. This means I'm not sure where to go as the situation is diffferent s He is trying to get motochopper working for shield so it will root the device and hoped it would do the same for me.
Hopefully some clarification will come sooner rather than later but won't venture fourth until I'm absolutely sure of what needs to be done.
Again, thanks for the help it is appreciated.:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download 64 bit software for 64 bit windows and 32 bit on 32 bit windows. Only notable exceptions are where a guide explicitly says to get 32 bit for some particular reason (in my case the only time I have come across this is MSI afterburners screen recording facilities only functioning on a 32 bit program for some reason, no 64 bit version) or if you are running 32 bit windows and physically cannot run 64 bit software even though a guide says "use 64 bit java etc etc".
rather interested in installing a graphics card in a laptop seeming as laptops use graphics cards that are soldered down to the motherboard not on a seperate removable card in all with very few (but existant) exceptions.... I think asus, dell and someone else did offer them at one point, its actually what the MXM connector was invented for (but its used for a few other things now instead).
Anyway. Its always good to have clarification. I think the post above me gives a few starting points and as always: google is your friend (so are bing and yahoo, but they are those friends where once you leave your job or school or whatever you probably wont ever see again).

boot achieved
I boot loaded the Shield through dab and boot loader.
Shield restarted once I chose to unlock the shield. I lost all my stuff (as expected) and it restarted. The drivers then reinstalled on my laptop.
I restarted my laptop and the shield again and tried to reinstall the drivers that were made for the ADB but sadly I get this message now...
"Windows has determined that your driver software is up to date MTP USB DEVICE"
So I restarted everything and the device is now showing up in the Andriod Device driver list.
I am using minimal adb and Fastboot application. It opens the command menu
I type in
adb reboot bootloader and I get the reply "error:device not found"
any ideas?
Sigh!

gogul1 said:
I boot loaded the Shield through dab and boot loader.
Shield restarted once I chose to unlock the shield. I lost all my stuff (as expected) and it restarted. The drivers then reinstalled on my laptop.
I restarted my laptop and the shield again and tried to reinstall the drivers that were made for the ADB but sadly I get this message now...
"Windows has determined that your driver software is up to date MTP USB DEVICE"
So the shield is now showing up in my computer manager under Portable Devices and not under the Android Devices like it did when I installed the custom drivers the first time.
Will this be an issue when I come to root?
Sigh!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the MTP driver is for plugging the shield in and viewing the file system. If the device isn't under android devices in device manager then you may need to reinstall the ADB drivers or just double check that the ADB can see the device (it may).
Open a command prompt. type "cd [path to the android sdk]\platform-tools"
Then type "adb devices".
It should list all the android devices it can make a debug connection to. If the Shield is in that list your good, otherwise don't proceed any further until you can rectify that.
The other solution is that you dont need ADB drivers on a linux system for some reason. Don't ask why. I havent a clue. But that would necessitate installing linux.
And something that is useful for finding the adb on the command line again in future for windows. You don't want to "cd" into the correct folder every time (the command line equivalent of opening folders). Sometimes you just want to be able to open the command prompt, type "adb devices" and it to just work. That's doable by altering your system PATH variable.
Open my computer. Right click > Properties, should open the System window.
Left side there should be a button saying "Advanced system settings".
It will open the "System Properties" window to the "Advanced" tab (if it isnt on that tab just switch).
Bottom of the window should be a button saying "Environment Variables...". Click it.
Now the window that appears will be split in 2. User variables and System variables. There is a PATH entry in both, it is best that you only change 1. If you are the only user or you only want your user to be able to access the adb, you can change the User variable. Otherwise you can change the system variable for the adb to work on all users. For me I had to add python to my path once but I wanted to do this for all users so I changed the system one, the PSP SDK I installed however altered the User variable by default. Make your choice and find the variable "PATH" in either one.
Click Edit. A window will appear with Variable name and Variable Value. At this point what I recommend doing is copying the entire contents of value into a notepad file and saving them as a backup. Then cancel and go back into it.
Code:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\iCLS Client\;C:\Program Files\Intel\iCLS Client\;%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Shared;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\2.0\bin\x86;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\OpenCL SDK\2.0\bin\x64;C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL;C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\DAL;C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Management Engine Components\IPT;C:\Program Files (x86)\Lua\5.1;C:\Program Files (x86)\Lua\5.1\clibs;C:\Python27;c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn\;c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\DTS\Binn\
That is my Path variable.If you look the path variable is mostly a series of filepaths (or other variables too) which are seperated with ";". When you type a command such as "adb" into a command prompt what windows does is searches the current command prompt directory for a file it can execute which is called "adb" (it ignores extensions unless explicitly given one), if it doesnt find it in the current directory it searches each folder in the system path variable for the same executable (it ignores sub directories, it will only search the folders above on my system). So if we want to be able to type adb from any folder, we need the folder the adb is in to be added to the system path variable.
Simply add this to the end of it
Code:
;[whatever the path to the adb folder on your system is]
It will be whatever you had to add after "cd" to get to the adb earlier (must not leave out the C:\Users etc etc if its stored in your documents, cd will let you get away with ignoring that, the variable requires the FULL filepath).
Save the variable. Open a command prompt. Type adb, should work. If not, QUICKLY RESTORE THE BACKUP BEFORE WORKING OUT WHAT WENT WRONG. Should be safe with the broken variable to be fair, but you don't want to risk anything. If you dont think your going to use the adb often then simply dont bother updating the path variable rather than taking the (minimal) risk.
Wow my path variable is beginning to get a bit long now I only manually added python and lua to it. The rest will be the default entries and the SQL server stuff appears to be from installing visual studio. Yours probably wont match.

hehe you're going to hit me in a minute...
message deleted as I was being a moron....

ok I should be entirely clear as you guys are trying to help
ok I should be entirely clear as you guys are trying to help me so it's best i let you know what I have done up until this point.
Ok so I boot loader my shield.
I downloaded minimal ADB and Fastboot. I also downloaded the drivers you recommended in the forum.
I installed the drivers:
My shield showed up in the computer Manage list as a Portable device.
I chose to install the new drivers, it asked if I still wanted to go ahead as the drivers could not be verified and I said yes.
The drivers installed and the Shield changed from being in the portable list to showing up as an Android device.
Success I believe.
I then opened ADB BOOTLOADER and booted my Shield Manually.
I then typed in the relevant prompts in the command and a list of options showed up on the shield.
It showed my device number in the command prompt which was the one on my shield screen.
I then command the unlock function and the shield offered me the option to lock or unlock.
I chose Unlock and it then rebooted.
When it restarted, my computer reinstalled the device drivers and my shield had reset to factory settings (as it should).
I then looked in the Computer Manage list and my Shield had reverted back to being in the Portable Devices list.
I restarted both again and the Shield then showed up under Android Devices like it did when I installed the custom drivers the first time.
But the name of the device is Nvidia Shield - not Nvidia Shield ADB like in the tutorial video... not sure it that helps.
I enabled USB Debugging,
put the Superuser.apk and Su bin file into the minimal AADB and Bootloader folder.
I then put the Thor-insecure-boot.img in the Minimal ADB and Bootloader folder too.
I started up the command prompt from the minimal ADB and Bootloader.
I then saw this
C:\Program files <X86>\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>
I then typed in adb reboot boot loader and pressed enter
I got
error: device not found
So I decided to take the above advice and opened a command prompt
I typed in cd C:\tools\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64-20130729\sdk\platform-tools
and pressed enter:
It repeated what I typed and I then put in adb devices.
It then came back with:
List of Devices attached
but nothing was listed....
doh!

Progress!
Ok so I uninstalled my drivers to start again, plugged in the shield and it reinstalled my drivers and now under Android Devices it shows NVIDIA SHIELD ADB
Result!
Now I opened the dab cmd prompt
typed in
adb reboot fastboot
and it booted my shield! jolly good
But then I typed in
fastboot boot thor-insecure-boot.img
I then had
<waiting for device>
show up in the command window.
This is where it stayed.
On the screen of my shield I have options:
continue
restart bootloader
recovery mode
poweroff
Do I have to choose one of these in order for it to begin the thor img command?

C:\tools\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64-20130729\sdk\platform-tools Just incase you didnt get it earlier. That would be the path required for the variable change above. Just whack a ; on the end of the existing variable and throw that new path on the end and done.
But yes, adb devices not listing shield is not a good thing. Try reinstalling the ADB driver for the shield manually (you cant do it via device manager etc).

cool
I'm past that and now <waiting for device> problem to rectify. Am looking online now but there isn't much on there so far...
looking under device manager it shows up under Android Device as Nvidia Shield ADB but it also shows up under portable devices as SHIELD.
Whilst in boot mode the device only shows up in portable devices with a exclamation mark next to the device.
*UPDATE*
I uninstalled the portable device driver because I think it may have been causing confusion.
I then typed adb devices into CMD and a list of devices showed the serial number of the nvidia Shield.
I then typed in adb reboot bootloader in and it booted.
I then tried adb devices again and nothing showed up.
When I go into bootloader The Android Device: Nvidia Shield ADB driver disappears in manager once I go into bootloader mode. Is this normal?
Hmmmmmmm
definetly something to do with the drivers.
I'm on windows 7 64bit by the way.
Going back into device manager I noticed that there is another device under Other devices, upon looking at it it is Fastboot and has an exclamation mark in a yellow triangle next to it (Minimal dab and fast boot is open though).
Such a bummer as I'm so close yet so far

picture
ok so here is a pic of my devices list fastboot is there

before boot
This is the devices it can see before I put the shield in boot mode

devices seen after shielf in boot mode
the are the devices seen after I put the Shield in boot mode. It can't see any devices

waiting for devices
This is the screen on the shield in boot mode. The CMD screen says "Waiting for Devices"

[RECOVERY] Nabi bigtab hd 20"

TWRP recovery for Nabi Bigtab 20"
Must have unlocked bootloader​
Download:attachment below
install via adb
"adb reboot-bootloader"
"fastboot flash recovery recovery.img"
Compiled by me with help from @aicjofs

I need help getting a fastboot driver to work for this tablet. So far I've had no luck. What drivers did you use?

Just in case others have this problem and arrive here....
I recently got a Nabi Big 20 HD tablet to use as a camera viewer in a nursery at our church. The only problem was, when I turned it on, it kept giving me an error, stating that I had to hook up to the wifi, and that the FUHU servers had a problem. Essentially, since Fuhu went out of business, you can’t connect to the fuhu servers.
Since you can’t connect to the servers, setup can’t be completed, and this 20″ tablet became a 20″ paperweight. Obviously, that would not do, so I figured out how to use fastboot mode, TWRP, and the advanced file manager to delete the unneeded junk to make the tablet functional again. Below are my instructions, performed from a Linux computer. You could do this from Windows as well, if you download the right tools.
Before you begin, you will need the TWRP recovery image, which you can get from here: http://www.mediafire.com/folder/rul6liygr1rw3/Nabi_big_20_hd_tablet or from https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/recovery-nabi-bigtab-hd-20-t3035372
Power off the tablet.
Hold the volume up and power on buttons, and release them when you see the menu options.
NOTE: This is actually fastboot mode!
Perform an OEM unlock
[email protected]:~$ fastboot oem unlock
...
(bootloader) Showing Options on Display.
(bootloader) Use device keys for selection.
(bootloader) erasing userdata...
(bootloader) erasing userdata done
(bootloader) erasing cache...
(bootloader) erasing cache done
(bootloader) unlocking...
(bootloader) Bootloader is unlocked now.
OKAY [ 13.625s]
finished. total time: 13.625s
[email protected]:~$
After this it reboots and starts up again, so power off the tablet.
Hold the volume up and power on buttons again, release them when you see the menu options.
NOTE: Once again, this is actually fastboot mode!
Flash the recovery image.
[email protected]:~/Downloads$ fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
target reported max download size of 643825664 bytes
sending 'recovery' (8646 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.313s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 0.314s]
finished. total time: 0.627s
[email protected]:~/Downloads$
From the still open menu, use the volume keys to scroll down to “recovery mode” and press the power button once to choose it. NOTE: it will show the NABI screen, then reboot into TWRP. Unfortunately, ADB does not work in this version of TWRP.
Go to “Mount” and check “System” and then click to disable MTP.
Press the home key or back key to get back to the main menu.
Click “Advanced”.
Click “file manager”.
Scroll to “priv-app” and select it.
Click on each of these items and choose to delete them:
fuhu_addapps2.apk
fuhu_appzone2.apk
fuhu_drmmanagerservice.apk
fuhu_nabiaccountmanager.apk
fuhu_nabiupdater.apk
–Personally, I just deleted all “fuhu” apps in this folder, but I think you only need those ones.
Then in the “app” folder, delete all the fuhu apps. Yes, I’m pretty sure you need to delete all of these ones.
Select the home or back button to get to the main TWRP screen.
Reboot to system.
Enjoy!
NOTE: It should start up, and may go through the Google setup (if you never started it before), and then will drop you off in “parent mode”.
At this point, I recommend installing a regular launcher, such as Trebuchet, Apex launcher, Nova launcher, etc. I used Apex launcher personally, because you can “hide” unwanted apps, and I use it to hide the unwanted Nabi apps. You should be able to see the Chrome browser in the parent mode window, use that to download the apk for the launcher you want (or use the Google account if you set up an account).
Once a launcher is installed, press the home key, and choose to always use the launcher you installed. You can now use this tablet as a regular Android tablet.
TWRP does have the option to install SuperSU and root the device. That’s completely up to you. Kingo Root also works incredibly well on this tablet. It will be stuck on Android 4.4.2, so it is a little outdated, but seems to work rather well. It was designed for gaming, so it is pretty powerful for as old as it is.
Linux – keep it simple.

AlaskaLinuxUser said:
Just in case others have this problem and arrive here....
I recently got a Nabi Big 20 HD tablet to use as a camera viewer in a nursery at our church. The only problem was, when I turned it on, it kept giving me an error, stating that I had to hook up to the wifi, and that the FUHU servers had a problem. Essentially, since Fuhu went out of business, you can’t connect to the fuhu servers.
Since you can’t connect to the servers, setup can’t be completed, and this 20″ tablet became a 20″ paperweight. Obviously, that would not do, so I figured out how to use fastboot mode, TWRP, and the advanced file manager to delete the unneeded junk to make the tablet functional again. Below are my instructions, performed from a Linux computer. You could do this from Windows as well, if you download the right tools.
Before you begin, you will need the TWRP recovery image, which you can get from here: http://www.mediafire.com/folder/rul6liygr1rw3/Nabi_big_20_hd_tablet or from https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/recovery-nabi-bigtab-hd-20-t3035372
Power off the tablet.
Hold the volume up and power on buttons, and release them when you see the menu options.
NOTE: This is actually fastboot mode!
Perform an OEM unlock
[email protected]:~$ fastboot oem unlock
...
(bootloader) Showing Options on Display.
(bootloader) Use device keys for selection.
(bootloader) erasing userdata...
(bootloader) erasing userdata done
(bootloader) erasing cache...
(bootloader) erasing cache done
(bootloader) unlocking...
(bootloader) Bootloader is unlocked now.
OKAY [ 13.625s]
finished. total time: 13.625s
[email protected]:~$
After this it reboots and starts up again, so power off the tablet.
Hold the volume up and power on buttons again, release them when you see the menu options.
NOTE: Once again, this is actually fastboot mode!
Flash the recovery image.
[email protected]:~/Downloads$ fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
target reported max download size of 643825664 bytes
sending 'recovery' (8646 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.313s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 0.314s]
finished. total time: 0.627s
[email protected]:~/Downloads$
From the still open menu, use the volume keys to scroll down to “recovery mode” and press the power button once to choose it. NOTE: it will show the NABI screen, then reboot into TWRP. Unfortunately, ADB does not work in this version of TWRP.
Go to “Mount” and check “System” and then click to disable MTP.
Press the home key or back key to get back to the main menu.
Click “Advanced”.
Click “file manager”.
Scroll to “priv-app” and select it.
Click on each of these items and choose to delete them:
fuhu_addapps2.apk
fuhu_appzone2.apk
fuhu_drmmanagerservice.apk
fuhu_nabiaccountmanager.apk
fuhu_nabiupdater.apk
–Personally, I just deleted all “fuhu” apps in this folder, but I think you only need those ones.
Then in the “app” folder, delete all the fuhu apps. Yes, I’m pretty sure you need to delete all of these ones.
Select the home or back button to get to the main TWRP screen.
Reboot to system.
Enjoy!
NOTE: It should start up, and may go through the Google setup (if you never started it before), and then will drop you off in “parent mode”.
At this point, I recommend installing a regular launcher, such as Trebuchet, Apex launcher, Nova launcher, etc. I used Apex launcher personally, because you can “hide” unwanted apps, and I use it to hide the unwanted Nabi apps. You should be able to see the Chrome browser in the parent mode window, use that to download the apk for the launcher you want (or use the Google account if you set up an account).
Once a launcher is installed, press the home key, and choose to always use the launcher you installed. You can now use this tablet as a regular Android tablet.
TWRP does have the option to install SuperSU and root the device. That’s completely up to you. Kingo Root also works incredibly well on this tablet. It will be stuck on Android 4.4.2, so it is a little outdated, but seems to work rather well. It was designed for gaming, so it is pretty powerful for as old as it is.
Linux – keep it simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woah, wasn't expecting to see you here.
Thanks for that guide, had one as well but had since sold it

Thanks - the guide helped me unbrick my Nabi Big Tab 20"
AlaskaLinuxUser said:
Just in case others have this problem and arrive here....
I recently got a Nabi Big 20 HD tablet to use as a camera viewer in a nursery at our church. The only problem was, when I turned it on, it kept giving me an error, stating that I had to hook up to the wifi, and that the FUHU servers had a problem. Essentially, since Fuhu went out of business, you can’t connect to the fuhu servers.
Since you can’t connect to the servers, setup can’t be completed, and this 20″ tablet became a 20″ paperweight. Obviously, that would not do, so I figured out how to use fastboot mode, TWRP, and the advanced file manager to delete the unneeded junk to make the tablet functional again. Below are my instructions, performed from a Linux computer. You could do this from Windows as well, if you download the right tools.
Before you begin, you will need the TWRP recovery image, which you can get from here: http://www.mediafire.com/folder/rul6liygr1rw3/Nabi_big_20_hd_tablet or from https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/recovery-nabi-bigtab-hd-20-t3035372
Power off the tablet.
Hold the volume up and power on buttons, and release them when you see the menu options.
NOTE: This is actually fastboot mode!
Perform an OEM unlock
[email protected]:~$ fastboot oem unlock
...
(bootloader) Showing Options on Display.
(bootloader) Use device keys for selection.
(bootloader) erasing userdata...
(bootloader) erasing userdata done
(bootloader) erasing cache...
(bootloader) erasing cache done
(bootloader) unlocking...
(bootloader) Bootloader is unlocked now.
OKAY [ 13.625s]
finished. total time: 13.625s
[email protected]:~$
After this it reboots and starts up again, so power off the tablet.
Hold the volume up and power on buttons again, release them when you see the menu options.
NOTE: Once again, this is actually fastboot mode!
Flash the recovery image.
[email protected]:~/Downloads$ fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
target reported max download size of 643825664 bytes
sending 'recovery' (8646 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.313s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 0.314s]
finished. total time: 0.627s
[email protected]:~/Downloads$
From the still open menu, use the volume keys to scroll down to “recovery mode” and press the power button once to choose it. NOTE: it will show the NABI screen, then reboot into TWRP. Unfortunately, ADB does not work in this version of TWRP.
Go to “Mount” and check “System” and then click to disable MTP.
Press the home key or back key to get back to the main menu.
Click “Advanced”.
Click “file manager”.
Scroll to "system" and select it.
Scroll to “priv-app” and select it.
Click on each of these items and choose to delete them:
fuhu_addapps2.apk
fuhu_appzone2.apk
fuhu_drmmanagerservice.apk
fuhu_nabiaccountmanager.apk
fuhu_nabiupdater.apk
–Personally, I just deleted all “fuhu” apps in this folder, but I think you only need those ones.
Then in the “app” folder, delete all the fuhu apps. Yes, I’m pretty sure you need to delete all of these ones.
Select the home or back button to get to the main TWRP screen.
Reboot to system.
Enjoy!
NOTE: It should start up, and may go through the Google setup (if you never started it before), and then will drop you off in “parent mode”.
At this point, I recommend installing a regular launcher, such as Trebuchet, Apex launcher, Nova launcher, etc. I used Apex launcher personally, because you can “hide” unwanted apps, and I use it to hide the unwanted Nabi apps. You should be able to see the Chrome browser in the parent mode window, use that to download the apk for the launcher you want (or use the Google account if you set up an account).
Once a launcher is installed, press the home key, and choose to always use the launcher you installed. You can now use this tablet as a regular Android tablet.
TWRP does have the option to install SuperSU and root the device. That’s completely up to you. Kingo Root also works incredibly well on this tablet. It will be stuck on Android 4.4.2, so it is a little outdated, but seems to work rather well. It was designed for gaming, so it is pretty powerful for as old as it is.
Linux – keep it simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was perfect. I could not figure out how to get this device into FastBoot until I read your post today. The only tweak I had to make I added in line above was after I went to filemanager I had to select "system" before selecting "privapp".

hexagon_founder said:
This was perfect. I could not figure out how to get this device into FastBoot until I read your post today. The only tweak I had to make I added in line above was after I went to filemanager I had to select "system" before selecting "privapp".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it helped!
And thanks for the note, yes, priv app is under system, and I forgot to mention that! [emoji3]
Sent from my Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra with Android 10

Hi, can you explain how you got into fastboot mode, or post a video? I am holding the plus sign button and the power button, but all that happens is the Nabi Bigtab flashes a few times, then stays dimly lit. It never loads any information, nothing about fastboot. Thanks.
EDIT: I figured it out. You have to press - the negative sign and the power button, NOT the plus sign, to get to the menu where you can choose recovery mode. THAT is the fastboot menu. It wasn't clear from the instructions. Make sure the tablet is hooked up when you do this and it should display on your PC as a "Fastboot" device.

I would appreciate help, my attempts are failing on this step using the nabilab64 drivers, minimal ADB, and this command:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot devices
BT20A00000211140829 fastboot
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>
fastboot oem unlock
...
FAILED (command write failed (No error))
finished. total time: 0.015s
I am using a USB 2.0 hub and a 3.0 plug. Same results. Also tried a different PC.
Thank you.

CCrusader said:
I would appreciate help, my attempts are failing on this step using the nabilab64 drivers, minimal ADB, and this command:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot devices
BT20A00000211140829 fastboot
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>
fastboot oem unlock
...
FAILED (command write failed (No error))
finished. total time: 0.015s
I am using a USB 2.0 hub and a 3.0 plug. Same results. Also tried a different PC.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CCrusader said:
Hi, can you explain how you got into fastboot mode, or post a video? I am holding the plus sign button and the power button, but all that happens is the Nabi Bigtab flashes a few times, then stays dimly lit. It never loads any information, nothing about fastboot. Thanks.
EDIT: I figured it out. You have to press - the negative sign and the power button, NOT the plus sign, to get to the menu where you can choose recovery mode. THAT is the fastboot menu. It wasn't clear from the instructions. Make sure the tablet is hooked up when you do this and it should display on your PC as a "Fastboot" device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odd, on mine it is the positive (+ up) volume button. Maybe it varied with different year models?
As for the adb command issue with Windows, I'm not sure, I use Linux... sorry I can't be more help.
Edit: perhaps try full adb, instead of minimal version?
Sent from my Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra with Android 10

AlaskaLinuxUser said:
Odd, on mine it is the positive (+ up) volume button. Maybe it varied with different year models?
As for the adb command issue with Windows, I'm not sure, I use Linux... sorry I can't be more help.
Edit: perhaps try full adb, instead of minimal version?
Sent from my Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra with Android 10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try it. What version of ADB were you using and where did you get yours?
What version of the Nabi driver did you use? Does Linux support it natively?
I am using Windows 10. What version of Linux were you using?
Doing this for a customer so I'd like to figure out how to get this done. This has been a bumpy process so far.
Thanks.

CCrusader said:
I'll try it. What version of ADB were you using and where did you get yours?
What version of the Nabi driver did you use? Does Linux support it natively?
I am using Windows 10. What version of Linux were you using?
Doing this for a customer so I'd like to figure out how to get this done. This has been a bumpy process so far.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used Ubuntu 18.04, and installed adb and fastboot from the Ubuntu repository. I did not need any drivers, as Ubuntu Linux was able to talk to fastboot right out of the box. Literally, the above steps was all I did.
Not bashing Windows, but Android runs a Linux kernel, and most Linux distributions can work with it much easier than Windows.
You can download a Ubuntu live CD and install adb and fastoob on your live run to do the job, if you don't want to install Ubuntu on a computer.
Hope that helps.
Sent from my Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra with Android 10

I got ubuntu and ran it off a live USB. Had to enable the app universe in software center, then installed ABP and fastboot. It unlocked the OEM and allowed flashing like a charm. Thank you. I hope this info helps someone else out, especially the minus sign rather than the plus sign.

CCrusader said:
I got ubuntu and ran it off a live USB. Had to enable the app universe in software center, then installed ABP and fastboot. It unlocked the OEM and allowed flashing like a charm. Thank you. I hope this info helps someone else out, especially the minus sign rather than the plus sign.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it worked out! [emoji3]
Sent from my Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra with Android 10

I cannot get my WIndows 10 pc to recognize the big tab as an adb device. It is in fastboot mode (Start, Power off, and Recover mode menu) and I have installed all proper adb and fastboot drivers as well as tried using NabiLab and Mehtuus Nabi Root to install any sort of drivers. The tablet will either appear as "Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)" or as "Fastboot" with the little exclamation mark and triangle next to it.
I have also tried booting into a live linux installation and get the same issue: adb will not detect the device.
I got a 24" paper weight...

I am in the same page, just got my 24" and could not pass the update page until I mess up the entire system.
Anyone here still got the stock ROM for the 24?
I found this somewhere but not sure what it is.

crazytiger1983 said:
I am in the same page, just got my 24" and could not pass the update page until I mess up the entire system.
Anyone here still got the stock ROM for the 24?
I found this somewhere but not sure what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also looking for files for the 24" version. Did you figure out what this file was for?

I have good news and bad news.
I somehow got the ROM file but its not from NABI, its from INFOCUS.
The problem is the could not get google play work.
Maybe someone here would have better idea what is wrong with it.

crazytiger1983 said:
I have good news and bad news.
I somehow got the ROM file but its not from NABI, its from INFOCUS.
The problem is the could not get google play work.
Maybe someone here would have better idea what is wrong with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the file you attached in your post from March is the in focus flash files?

No, this is the one

crazytiger1983 said:
No, this is the one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I just recently purchased one of these and am waiting for it to arrive. I don't know what state it will be in when I receive it. So what is the file for then from back in March?

Need Serious help Rooting the K1 Nvidia Shield Tablet on Linux MInt 18

(first, If im on the wrong thread can you help with asking a moderator to move it to the correct place, or how ever that would work? Thanks!!)
Im on Linux Mint 18 Sarah Cinnamon 64 bit
I'm trying to root my Nvidia K1 shield tablet. no idea what im doing and the more I research this the more confusing it gets. Seems like If you ran windows theres "Clear Cut & Right to the Point" instructions about how to do this on about 14 hundred pages of great info including great you tube videos which heavily explain it, in great easy to understand detail.
What Ive done so far.
installed ADB and BootLoader (but ive no idea how to actually use these programs yet, still figuring that one out)
I have sucessfully Unlocked the Device
Now im trying to flash the .img I hit this command (from terminal) and get this result
$ fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
target reported max download size of 100663296 bytes
sending 'recovery' (16384 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.658s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 0.651s]
finished. total time: 1.309s
Now following these steps at this website http://developer.download.nvidia.co.../0_0_0_Factory/HowTo-Flash-Recovery-Image.txt
im on the:
$ fastboot flash boot boot.img
error: cannot load 'boot.img'
Now ive no idea what to do, how to fix this ,or even if im following the right directions. what I need is (im going to throw a nice Trump statement here)
Can someone explain how you root a Nvidia shield K1 tablet, start to finish, ON LINUX, and every step simplified along the way explained, PERIOD!!!!
Everyone starts to tell you how to do this, then they jump on a windows PC throwing me all off...
now my .img file is from this website https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24269982087005399
its in my downloads folder if that matters??? Not sure but i think it does. If i need to move this .img file somewhere please explain how to do it, don't just say "oh your problem is you need to move it to /usb/local/ or something," and just leave it there. remember i need help, so if I need to move things and use commands please help me with that. thank you
You know I got my MCSE, MCSA, A+ SERVER+ NET+ NOVEL and I can write python Programs and im getting into Julia. I know DOS, & I feel im a power User on Andriod, and ive been using personal computers since the 1970's. But when it comes to linux, I cant even google my way out of anything, even if the problem is very minor and simple, still, I cant google my way out of anything on linux its crazy. I keep having to write on forums on threads to find the answer. Someone with my Creds, granted most were aquired in 2002, shouldnt struggle like I do with linux, the support is terrible, and I dont mean updates for software and hardware, im sure thats fine. But when it comes to user support and the documentation for instruction, you get pages of results that have more links then answers on the page to other peoples help pages, that link more to other pages. You cant just goto 1 page, get the answer, done finished your allset, NOPE LINUX does not work that way and its to bad, I see why most of the world doesn't use it.
Good analogy right here, if someone in your neighborhood is giving out free gold to anyone, you know ya whole villiage or town is going to be there getting free gold, ya well, if Linux was that good, the whole world would be using it, and there not, and its free just like the gold. So does that tell you anything?

settled that, smashed the tablet, going to mount it on my wall as a reminder for tech not to mess with me. and yes linux sucks balls!!!!

Maverick617 said:
settled that, smashed the tablet, going to mount it on my wall as a reminder for tech not to mess with me. and yes linux sucks balls!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest anger management and growing some sort of ability to wait periods of time before going all hulk smash... You waited all of 2 hours for someone to tell you you had already finished all you needed a pc for... After flashing the twrp recovery over adb all you needed to do was boot into it. you could have done so by shutting it off then holding vol down and power to get you to the fastboot menu then use the volume rockers to go to recovery the power button will be enter in this case and it should boot the recovery you just loaded.
From there you flash the super su binary you already downloaded and when you boot into the tablet after that you can load a apk from the google play store supersu is what i use then you are rooted...

mirrin said:
I suggest anger management and growing some sort of ability to wait periods of time before going all hulk smash... You waited all of 2 hours for someone to tell you you had already finished all you needed a pc for... After flashing the twrp recovery over adb all you needed to do was boot into it. you could have done so by shutting it off then holding vol down and power to get you to the fastboot menu then use the volume rockers to go to recovery the power button will be enter in this case and it should boot the recovery you just loaded.
From there you flash the super su binary you already downloaded and when you boot into the tablet after that you can load a apk from the google play store supersu is what i use then you are rooted...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also just going to add the process is the same in mint/ubuntu as it is in windows. Getting fastboot/adb is the only difference, and it basically tells you how to do if you try using fastboot without it installed. Also make sure you are in the right directory and type the correct name or you get the cant load message.

Additionally as someone who had to learn linux cli on Red hat i would have to say vs ms dos about the same... if the op thinks mint is bad i have some old yellow dog and mandrake 7.0 disk i can send him. He does not know the pain of trying to find the drivers on repositories and such just to get the sound and Ethernet working... Had the issue of my realtek 10/100 card not working under linux but my 3com card would if i had preloaded the drivers...
I have tried unbuntu and mint both gave a very similar experience to installing windows. With the exception unlike windows i did not need to patch 1000 things before using it and everything just worked.
Also Android is linux...
SHIELD TABLET K1 RECOVERY IMAGE FLASHING INSTRUCTIONS
To follow the instructions in this guide, you will need adb and fastboot.
These tools are provided as part of the Android SDK:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Before flashing this recovery image to your SHIELD TABLET, connect your SHIELD TABLET
via USB to the PC where you downloaded this recovery image.
Next, put your SHIELD TABLET into fastboot mode using one of the following methods:
SW method:
- Boot to android home screen
- Connect the device to linux/windows system
- Open terminal (on linux); command prompt (on windows).
- Type "adb reboot bootloader" in terminal/command prompt
HW method: (If you had done this after the part you loaded what ever recovery nvidia tried pushing on you it should have worked)
- Turn off the device
- Press "Volume Down" -> "Power", hold "Volume Down" and leave Power buttons till device boots
(I dont even know what this from nvidia is talking about)http://forum.xda-developers.com/shi...recovery-twrp-2-8-7-0-touch-recovery-t3257172 <--go to the xda first next time...
To flash this recovery image to your SHIELD TABLET, run the following commands from
the directory where you extracted the recovery image package. If this is the
first time you have done this procedure, you must unlock the bootloader (see
below):
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot flash staging blob
(Better instructions that i found on this place)
https://twrp.me/devices/nvidiahshieldtablet.html
adb reboot bootloader
(https://dl.twrp.me/shieldtablet/) Download latest here rename the .img file twrp.img maesure the file is in the adb folder...
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img
fastboot reboot
After boot you can issue this command
adb rebooot recovery
or
shut off the tablet
hold vol down then hold power
then press vol down until recovery is highlighted then push power button...
Unlocking the Bootloader<you needed to do this first>
Your SHIELD TABLET may have shipped with a locked bootloader. To update the device,
you must unlock the bootloader using the following:
- fastboot oem unlock
- Press the "Volume Down" button to select "Unlock bootloader" option on device
- Press the "Power" button to confirm the unlock. Your device's bootloader is now unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

What is this "calypso a318uu"

Well I bought this Calypso U318AA from a friend for cheap. It was his sons he got new phone. I bought it to root it. I was just going to do the magical root.. I've rooted several other phones in past. The world wide web has very little info well, no info on this thing. It's a Android 10. I'm not sure of even the best way to unlock the bootloader. I know it doesn't have nothing in developers options. On recovery reboot you can do a recovery boot and a fastboot as well as normal boot. Can't find anything but factory at&t stuff. So any info would be great. Thank you

dorkxperience said:
Well I bought this Calypso U318AA from a friend for cheap. It was his sons he got new phone. I bought it to root it. I was just going to do the magical root.. I've rooted several other phones in past. The world wide web has very little info well, no info on this thing. It's a Android 10. I'm not sure of even the best way to unlock the bootloader. I know it doesn't have nothing in developers options. On recovery reboot you can do a recovery boot and a fastboot as well as normal boot. Can't find anything but factory at&t stuff. So any info would be great. Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just received this phone from at&t. Found out mtk_client will unlock bootloader. so magisk root "should be" available after this unlock. I have not tried yet , i only unlocked bootloader earlier today. will keep looking for anyone else trying this and update as i find any info.

Twrp is working (mostly) for TINNO U318AA. (ATT&T Calypso)
still need to work out data decryption, and FatsbootD mode.
Device Tree: https://github.com/mrmazakblu/twrp-device-att_u318aa/tree/twrp-11
Device Dump: https://github.com/mrmazakblu/att_u318aa_dump

mrmazak said:
Twrp is working (mostly) for TINNO U318AA. (ATT&T Calypso)
still need to work out data decryption, and FatsbootD mode.
Device Tree: https://github.com/mrmazakblu/twrp-device-att_u318aa/tree/twrp-11
Device Dump: https://github.com/mrmazakblu/att_u318aa_dump
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phh aoap gsi a11 installs and runs good

mrmazak said:
Phh aoap gsi a11 installs and runs good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To clarify, let me tel you all which build version i have installed and outline the steps to get it loaded.
THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE STEP BY STEP GUIDE ONLY AN OVERVIEW
WHATEVER YOU DO ON YOUR DEVICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK
system-squeak-arm32_binder64-ab-vndklite-vanilla
downloaded from :
Releases · phhusson/treble_experimentations
Notes about tinkering with Android Project Treble. Contribute to phhusson/treble_experimentations development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
!. Bootloader must be unlocked.
AT&T removed the enable OEM unlock from developer menu, but there is an excellent work around 'tool' to get around this.
MTK CLIENT will allow you to read (pull) stock firmware off from phone, much like spflash tool does, except with this phone and many other newer phones the manufacture has enabled security and authorization files to block sp flash tool , SOOOO, tools like mtk client try to stay a step ahead.
I only used the GUI options with the client, it was very user friendly , the tool has way more options than i needed to mess with.
GitHub - bkerler/mtkclient: MTK reverse engineering and flash tool
MTK reverse engineering and flash tool. Contribute to bkerler/mtkclient development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
2. Before flashing gsi, make sure you have pulled firmware from phone, so you have stock super.img. If you don't you will not be able to restore device when / if you mess up the vendor partition.
3. I disabled vbmeta verification .
will need stock vbmeta from pulled firmware.
boot into bootloader, (adb reboot bootloader , or reboot while holding the volume up button. You should get a boot menu)
Code:
fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
(the last part need to point to you file location where ever it is)
4. Now we need to move from bootloader to fastboot. fastboot reboot command didn't work for me so needed to boot recovery first, then fastboot.
Code:
fastboot reboot
hold volume up button to get boot menu, select recovery
from recovery select reboot fastboot
in the fastbootd connection you will be able to flash gsi
the system area is not large enough to fit gsi , so you will need to remove the /product partition.
Code:
fastboot delete-logical-partition product
fastboot flash system system-squeak-arm32_binder64-ab-vndklite-vanilla.img
once completed use the screen menu to reboot back to recovery and perform factory reset.
With the exception of needing to use mtk client, the rest of these steps are standard android process. documented in many locations. I go to the android source first for information. \
Moving Fastboot to Userspace | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com

Thanks a lot mrmazak, I'm working on a step by step guide for newbies like me to expand on your steps to unblock and reflash the phone.
I was able to use MRK Client, unlock bootloader and put the phone in fastboot.
The problem I have is to find the right MediaTek driver for the device USB\VID_0E8D&PID_201C
Where did you find them? I tried Google USB driver from ADP but they use different Device ID and all MediaTek driver with same VendorID 08ED have old ProductID instead of 201C.
Any help on MediaTek driver so I can finish the guide and post the link here?
Specifically, I was able to connect via ADB but Fastboot requires a different driver which I'm not able to find
Thanks a lot for your help!

mrmazak said:
I just received this phone from at&t. Found out mtk_client will unlock bootloader. so magisk root "should be" available after this unlock. I have not tried yet , i only unlocked bootloader earlier today. will keep looking for anyone else trying this and update as i find any info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats awesome thanks

inglele said:
Thanks a lot mrmazak, I'm working on a step by step guide for newbies like me to expand on your steps to unblock and reflash the phone.
I was able to use MRK Client, unlock bootloader and put the phone in fastboot.
The problem I have is to find the right MediaTek driver for the device USB\VID_0E8D&PID_201C
Where did you find them? I tried Google USB driver from ADP but they use different Device ID and all MediaTek driver with same VendorID 08ED have old ProductID instead of 201C.
Any help on MediaTek driver so I can finish the guide and post the link here?
Specifically, I was able to connect via ADB but Fastboot requires a different driver which I'm not able to find
Thanks a lot for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did not have to install any drivers special.

mrmazak said:
Did not have to install any drivers special.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I had Other \ Android device listed in Device Manager, so I tried disable signed driver and force install of these drivers: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...32-64-bit-driver-install-tutorial-m2.3267033/
Now, I have it visible as MediaTek PreLoader USB VCOM Port but if I type "fastboot devices" is not listed.
ADB is able to see it correctly:
adb devices
List of devices attached
AYMB5PKZCUEUUOSC device
When I restart in fastboot with "adb reboot bootloader" the phone restart correctly in fastboot.
I'm not able to unblock the connection between fastboot tool and phone in fastboot mode, I suspect due to missing / wrong driver.
If you have any idea, it would be great!

Found the correct driver. I needed to force Google ADB Driver -> "Android Bootloader Interface" and it works!
They are available here: https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb
Thanks for the help and sorry for confusion, newbie questions

Mod Edit: Quote removed since post deleted.
I received 'not enough space" error when flashed gsi, this is why i delete product partition.
I recall there are fastboot commands to list super.img size, but not sure for super sub-partiton size. there are tools to extract the sub-partitons and it will show individual size.
there must be commands for it in fastboot i think, But i do not know them.\

They deleted the previous post, so I'm copy paste the steps from the blog post.
Pre-requirements​
Tested on Windows 11, it should work on any previous Windows versions
Install MTK Client to unlock bootloader: Inofficial MTK reverse engineering and flash tool – which requires Python 3.9 and Git – Downloading Package (git-scm.com) and UsbDk
Download phone image system-squeak-arm32_binder64-ab-vndklite-vanilla.img.gz from Release AOSP 12.1 v410 · phhusson/treble_experimentations
Download Android DevelopersSDK Platform Tools | Android Developers
Download Google USB Driver | Android Developers
Unlock phone bootloader​Bootloader must be unlocked to install the new firmware.
MTK CLIENT will allow you to read stock firmware off from phone, except with this phone the manufacture has enabled security and authorization files to block sp flash tool.
Install Python 3.9 from Microsoft Store and Git – Downloading Package and daynix/UsbDk · GitHub, then open a CMD:
mkdir C:\test
cd C:\test
git clone https://github.com/bkerler/mtkclient
cd mtkclient
pip3 install -r requirements.txt
Once installation in complete, start MTK Client with
c:\Test\mtkclient
python mtk_gui
To activate BRUM mode for the phone and connect it to MKT Client
Turn off the phone if it’s on.
Press Volume UP + Volume DOWN and plug the USB cable.
Do not press power button and MKT Client will detect it.
Backup:
In the Read partition tab,
Select all of them and Save to C:\Test\Firmware\Original
It will take about 40min to complete all the operation
Unlock Bootloader
In Flash Tools tab,
Click on Unlock bootloader button
Debug log will show Bootloader: unlock and python windows list
sej - HACC init
sej - HACC run
sej - HACC terminate
sej - HACC init
sej - HACC run
sej - HACC terminate
Progress: |██████████████████████████████████████████████████| 100.0% Write (Sector 0x1 of 0x1, ) 0.03 MB/s
If you restart the phone, you will see a warning that bootloader is unlocked and it will ask you to factory reset the phone.
Install the new firmware​You need to have Android DevelopersSDK Platform Tools | Android Developers installed to be able to flash the new firmware.
Enable USB Debugging in the phone and connect ADB​
Start the phone
Perform a Factory Reset
Restart the phone and complete the initial wizard
Open Settings -> “About Phone” -> Tap the “Build Number” item seven times.
You should get a message saying you are now a developer.
Settings -> “System” -> “Advanced” -> “Developer Options.”
Open the menu and enable “USB Debugging.”
To verify that ADB in installed correctly and is able to connect to the device:
CD C:\Test\Tools
adb version
Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41
Version 33.0.1-8253317
Installed as C:\Test\Tools\adb.exe
adb devices
List of devices attached
AYMB5PKZCUEUUOSC device
Boot into fastboot with the following command adb reboot bootloader
or reboot while holding the volume up button and select fastboot.
Install Google ADB FastBoot driver in Windows 11​Download Google USB Driver | Android Developers as they will be needed to connect the device via fastboot. To install the driver, we need to force the installation in Device Manager with these steps:
Open Device Manager
Right click on Other Devices \ Android device
Select “Update Driver” -> “Browse my computer for drivers” -> “Let me pick from the list of available driver“
Select “Show All Devices” -> “Have Disk“
Navigate to “C:\Test\Tools\usb_driver_r13-windows” and let Windows load the drivers
Select “Android Bootloader Interface” as driver name
Test that Fastboot tool is able to interact with the phone
CD C:\Test\Tools
fastboot devices
AYMB5PKZCUEUUOSC fastboot
Next step is to disable vbmeta verification with the following steps:
Firmware update via Fastboot​
While the phone is in the FastBoot mode, type the following:
CD C:\Test\Tools
fastboot devices
fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta "C:\Test\Firmware\Original\vbmeta.bin"
target reported max download size of 134217728 bytes
sending 'vbmeta' (8192 KB)... OKAY [ 0.204s]
writing 'vbmeta'... OKAY [ 0.189s]
finished. total time: 0.393s
After vbmeta image is flashed, perform:
fastboot reboot fastboot to restart the phone and enter fastbootd
Check the phone is connecting correctly with fastboot devices
and force the installation of Android Bootloader Interface in Device Manager if needed.
The following step delete product partition so system partition has enough space:
fastboot delete-logical-partition product
Deleting 'product' OKAY [ 0.016s]
Finished. Total time: 0.016s
This command flash the custom rom on system partition:
fastboot flash system "C:\Test\Firmware\system-squeak-arm32_binder64-ab-vndklite-vanilla.img"
Invalid sparse file format at header magic
Resizing 'system' OKAY [ 0.016s]
Sending sparse 'system' 1/5 (255489 KB) OKAY [ 14.939s]
Writing 'system' OKAY [ 7.651s]
Sending sparse 'system' 2/5 (262100 KB) OKAY [ 15.141s]
Writing 'system' OKAY [ 7.705s]
Sending sparse 'system' 3/5 (262104 KB) OKAY [ 15.001s]
Writing 'system' OKAY [ 7.595s]
Sending sparse 'system' 4/5 (261825 KB) OKAY [ 14.752s]
Writing 'system' OKAY [ 7.711s]
Sending sparse 'system' 5/5 (183741 KB) OKAY [ 10.421s]
Writing 'system' OKAY [ 5.832s]
Finished. Total time: 107.885s
Once flash of new rom is completed, you can restart the phone and it will boot using the new rom.
Original post suggested to perform a factory reset.
WARNING: In my case, a factory reset caused a reboot loop and was not able to
If you want to proceed, in the menu on the screen:
Select “Enter recovery” and
Select “Wipe data/factory reset“
Screen on the phone will show
-- Wiping data...
Formatting /data...
Formatting /cache...
Formatting /metadata...
Data wipe completed.
If you missed the previous screen, or clicked the wrong button/option:
restart the phone holding Volume UP,
Select fastboot on the phone
Type fastboot reboot fastboot to reenter fastbootd screen
And repeat the factory reset
Restart the phone and you are up and running.
Restore original firmware​If you need to restore original rom, use MKT Client tool to write:
vbmeta.bin
super.bin
then close the tool and restart the phone. It will be like new

hi! hope i can get some help. this is my first time using mtkclient but i can't seem to get it to detect the phone. i'm making sure to follow the steps listed of having the phone off first, then press both volume buttons and plug in the usb. on the phone it eventually pulls up a "select boot mode" where i can use the volume buttons to select recovery mode fastboot mode or normal mode boot. i've tried recovery and fast boot modes as well as just leaving it on that select screen but nothing is detected in mtkclient
thanks!

New to the world of droid but am familiar with modding stuff so I'm a semi-noob I suppose. Found myself getting one of these things from the local dollar general and followed this guide to get rid of all the google crap and hopefully speed it up a bit. Bootloader is unlocked, .img posted above is flashed, and it boots up and seemingly works. Can't figure out how to sideload apps nor can I find any type of write up explaining what to do with the tree and dump file posted above. Any help and/or clarification, greatly appreciated. MTKClient, ADB, and Fastboot are all installed and functional. Using Linux Manjaro.
--chuckles b

ltk6260 said:
hi! hope i can get some help. this is my first time using mtkclient but i can't seem to get it to detect the phone. i'm making sure to follow the steps listed of having the phone off first, then press both volume buttons and plug in the usb. on the phone it eventually pulls up a "select boot mode" where i can use the volume buttons to select recovery mode fastboot mode or normal mode boot. i've tried recovery and fast boot modes as well as just leaving it on that select screen but nothing is detected in mtkclient
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Run mtkclient. With the phone already off, hold down both volume buttons and connect the phone to your computer. You should hear the "usb connected" notification sound on your computer and mtkclient will pick up it. As soon as you hear that chime, release the buttons, set the phone down, and don't touch it. The screen shouldn't come on during this step.
Make sure you're ONLY holding down the volume buttons and plugging it in. Don't touch the power button.
If you're still having issues with it not picking up your phone, go through the standard troubleshooting steps: Recheck you followed every step, restart your computer, try other USB ports, try other cables.
*********
FYI this isn't applicable to this process, but should be noted: This phone has a weird way to get into the recovery menu. You have to hold Vol+ and Power, then select Recovery from the menu, THEN immediately press and hold the Vol+ (or Vol- I don't recall at the moment) and Power buttons again until the recovery menu comes up

veryspecialagent said:
Run mtkclient. With the phone already off, hold down both volume buttons and connect the phone to your computer. You should hear the "usb connected" notification sound on your computer and mtkclient will pick up it. As soon as you hear that chime, release the buttons, set the phone down, and don't touch it. The screen shouldn't come on during this step.
Make sure you're ONLY holding down the volume buttons and plugging it in. Don't touch the power button.
If you're still having issues with it not picking up your phone, go through the standard troubleshooting steps: Recheck you followed every step, restart your computer, try other USB ports, try other cables.
*********
FYI this isn't applicable to this process, but should be noted: This phone has a weird way to get into the recovery menu. You have to hold Vol+ and Power, then select Recovery from the menu, THEN immediately press and hold the Vol+ (or Vol- I don't recall at the moment) and Power buttons again until the recovery menu comes up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! that did help.
i was able to get all the way through up to flashing the new rom. I'm getting this error:
fastboot flash system system-squeak-arm32_binder64-ab-vndklite-vanilla.img
Invalid sparse file format at header magic
Resizing 'system' OKAY [ 0.013s]
error: write_sparse_skip_chunk: don't care size 201668900 is not a multiple of the block size 4096
Sending sparse 'system' 1/2 (262140 KB) error: write_sparse_skip_chunk: don't care size 201668900 is not a multiple of the block size 4096
error: write_sparse_skip_chunk: don't care size 201668900 is not a multiple of the block size 4096
OKAY [ 12.568s]
Writing 'system' FAILED (remote: 'No such file or directory')
fastboot: error: Command failed
still can't get past this error. i've confirmed my filename, file extensions, and file location. even checked file permissions. the img file is in the same folder as the fastboot command itself.
i also tried the command using the full c:\ path to the img file but it fails the same.
i then restored the phone to the original super.bin and the phone worked like normal. so i went all the way back through the steps starting from the top but failed at the same final step flashing the system.

ltk6260 said:
still can't get past this error. i've confirmed my filename, file extensions, and file location. even checked file permissions. the img file is in the same folder as the fastboot command itself.
i also tried the command using the full c:\ path to the img file but it fails the same.
i then restored the phone to the original super.bin and the phone worked like normal. so i went all the way back through the steps starting from the top but failed at the same final step flashing the system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you trying to do? What is the purpose or end result you're hoping to achieve?
I ask because this thread is a bit convoluted and "noobs" looking to just root and tinker might come in thinking they have to do all the steps in this thread to get there.
Like someone wanting an oil change overhearing two mechanics rebuilding a transmission, taking notes, especially where they mentioned "oil," then walking away thinking that's what they need to do.
The tools linked above are great. The mtk one, once I was able to get it running, was how I got past the FRP. For anyone wondering, there's an FRP partition that you can just delete with the tool.
If you're just wanting root, see above for unlocking the bootloader, then stop. I'm 90% certain I achieved root by just following the process outlined the official Magisk page on GitHub.
Can I get some OP/MOD thoughts on breaking this thread up into specific guides with the purpose clearly written in the title?

veryspecialagent said:
What are you trying to do? What is the purpose or end result you're hoping to achieve?
I ask because this thread is a bit convoluted and "noobs" looking to just root and tinker might come in thinking they have to do all the steps in this thread to get there.
Like someone wanting an oil change overhearing two mechanics rebuilding a transmission, taking notes, especially where they mentioned "oil," then walking away thinking that's what they need to do.
The tools linked above are great. The mtk one, once I was able to get it running, was how I got past the FRP. For anyone wondering, there's an FRP partition that you can just delete with the tool.
If you're just wanting root, see above for unlocking the bootloader, then stop. I'm 90% certain I achieved root by just following the process outlined the official Magisk page on GitHub.
Can I get some OP/MOD thoughts on breaking this thread up into specific guides with the purpose clearly written in the title?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your questioning. I'm trying to unlock and load aosp firmware, or frankly, anything other than what this device is loaded with since it's horribly bloated, slow and periodically unstable. this is a play phone, i have two of these phones actually.

ltk6260 said:
I understand your questioning. I'm trying to unlock and load aosp firmware, or frankly, anything other than what this device is loaded with since it's horribly bloated, slow and periodically unstable. this is a play phone, i have two of these phones actually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So is mine. I agree with the bloat, which I thought was weird considering the Android 10 version it comes with (Go) is supposed to be a more streamlined version for lower end phones that lack the processing power.
I tend to not do new ROMs unless it's something with a track record and support like Lineage, but after playing around with it and testing some of the functions with things like WIGL, Termux, LSposed, etc, I'm thinking it might be a good Nethunter phone.

After some extensive Googling, and since I doubt this falls under the "you're flashing the wrong build/version" because there's only one variant of this phone, I'd say it might be possible you're not running the right SDK platform package.
Start Android Studio, go to Settings > Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Android SDK and make sure you have the right platform packages installed (i.e. Android 10, API 29) and updated.