Database Info

[Tut][I9001] How To Repartition Brocken Partitioned I9001 devices

Hi every one !
Our Odin version doesn't support repartition , so we can't do any thing while we have a Brocken partition ! Brocken partition are software related or hardware related , If you used the method bellow with no success your problem is hardware related and you need to at least replace your EMMC ic . OK I will describe more on method , the alternative method is flashing whole of empty partitions on +8 partitions except some partitions such as efs and ...
1- you need to check out which partitions are Brocken ! Choose format/wipe option in recovery mod to find out which are brocken , mostly data or cache partitions are Brocken , or in harder situation may system !
2- you need to create empty partitions for Brocken ones , you need terminal emulator to run this ( for data and cache )
Code:
su
dd if=/dev/zero of=/data.img.ext4 count=1413120
dd if=/dev/zero of=/cache.img.ext4
count=102400
# ... do Like this for other brocken partitions
continue for every Brocken partitions
3- tar every empty partitions you have created in step 2
4- flash tar file by Odin in one package
5- When your device boots up check out Brocken partitions are fixed or not if yes wipe them in recovery if not your problem is hardware related and you need to change EMMC ! I hope all Brocken partitions fix by this method and you won't need to hardware fixing .
# Do At Your Own Risk ! # I'm not responsible any more ! #
Just do this when you have Brocken partitions ! This can cause some problems to non damaged devices !(thanks to Broodplank for reminding )
Credit:
BroodPlank1337 - Helping me
Cheers
AliReza

Ok some additional info:
You can get the block size by looking at the /proc/partitions table
Code:
major minor #blocks name
7 0 2111 loop0
179 0 7757824 mmcblk0
179 1 106495 mmcblk0p1
179 2 500 mmcblk0p2
179 3 3596 mmcblk0p3
179 4 1 mmcblk0p4
179 5 5120 mmcblk0p5
179 6 20000 mmcblk0p6
179 7 3072 mmcblk0p7
179 8 5120 mmcblk0p8
179 9 7000 mmcblk0p9
179 10 3072 mmcblk0p10
179 11 3072 mmcblk0p11
179 12 8192 mmcblk0p12
179 13 7680 mmcblk0p13
179 14 5120 mmcblk0p14
179 15 532480 mmcblk0p15
179 16 102400 mmcblk0p16
179 17 1413120 mmcblk0p17
179 18 204800 mmcblk0p18
179 19 500 mmcblk0p19
179 20 3596 mmcblk0p20
179 21 5120 mmcblk0p21
179 22 20000 mmcblk0p22
179 23 5120 mmcblk0p23
179 24 7000 mmcblk0p24
179 25 5120 mmcblk0p25
179 26 5120 mmcblk0p26
179 27 5120 mmcblk0p27
179 28 5230592 mmcblk0p28
179 64 1024 mmcblk0boot1
179 32 1024 mmcblk0boot0
254 0 2110 dm-0
Also our odin has no default repartition box idd, but I made a package a while ago which resets "all" partitions:
Code:
adsp.mbn (mmcblk0p5)
amss.mbn (mmcblk0p6)
boot.img (mmcblk0p8)
cache.img.ext4 (mmcblk0p19)
data.img.ext4 (mmcblk0p17)
dbl.mbn (mmcblk0p1)
EMMCBOOT.MBN (mmcblk0p4)
emmcparam.bin (mmcblk0p14)
osbl.mbn (mmcblk0p2)
partition.bin (mmcblk0p0)
persist.img.ext4 (mmcblk0p12)
preload.img.ext4 (mmcblk0p18)
recovery.img (mmcblk0p13)
system.img.ext4 (mmcblk0p15)
oh and a global message to all, if you don't have to use dd, don't use it. when you have non corrupted partition that you want to wipe use "cd /partition && rm -Rf *" its always the safest option. (unless executed in root hehe)

AW: [Tut][I9001] How To Repartition Brocken Partitioned I9001 devices
Thats very usefull! Thanks to you both!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda app-developers app

XeLLaR* said:
Thats very usefull! Thanks to you both!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for supporting ... but I wish you won't ever need to use this

alireza7991 said:
Thanks for supporting ... but I wish you won't ever need to use this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Idd hehe, I've had some crazy moments that I accidentally removed a partition (when having over 50 windows open, and 10 of them are a commandline), but when flashing broodROM RC5 it was restored anyways ;p

broodplank1337 said:
Idd hehe, I've had some crazy moments that I accidentally removed a partition (when having over 50 windows open, and 10 of them are a commandline), but when flashing broodROM RC5 it was restored anyways ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe
You were in the software damaged case , so you could restore but if you had hardware damaged emmc you had to change it ! Some thing like Buffo had done to its device was hardware Brocken emmc

UP !

Hi! Is this useful if my SGS+ always freezes when I wanna make a factory reset? And it freezes at the Samsung galaxy screen.... I tried to format with a few recoveries but always the same problem. It started after I failed to flash the newest CM 10b4.
I tried already to flash a few stock-roms over odin and other custom roms over CWM / FeaMod / TeamWin recovery.... Nothing helped. How can I find out if that emmc is brocken?

Imanidiot said:
Hi! Is this useful if my SGS+ always freezes when I wanna make a factory reset? And it freezes at the Samsung galaxy screen.... I tried to format with a few recoveries but always the same problem. It started after I failed to flash the newest CM 10b4.
I tried already to flash a few stock-roms over odin and other custom roms over CWM / FeaMod / TeamWin recovery.... Nothing helped. How can I find out if that emmc is brocken?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you flash the CM10 with a to old version of CWM? (it needs to be 5.4.0.4 atleast). this could have caused it, if not, did you do excessive rom flashing? (sometimes when im hours and hours of trying to flash things on my phone it seems to get "tired" and the formatting/installing goes so slow that you almost manually pull the batter)
Have you tried to flash broodROM RC5? don't want to advertise for it but it's generally known that it "unbricks" devices because of the large number of partitions
Have you tried the CWM bootloop solution btw? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=24831012&postcount=1330

I tried the bootloop solution but it didn't work... And I don't think that my phone went "tired" cuz cache formating is still working...but the phone turns automatically off after a few seconds.
No i never tried the other rom solution cuz someone other with the same problem tried it already but it didn't work... Well I'll try it anyway.
And thanks for the fast answer! I would give you a "thanks" but i gave already 8 sorry..
Edit:
I can't remember which CWM I used before... but after I saw the "Symlinks failed" "Status 7" error I flashed the latest CWM but there it was just the same :/

How can i know about broken partitions ?
Because i have ~7 months left to change my phone, and i don't want to brick my phone which i love much <3

AW: [Tut][I9001] How To Repartition Brocken Partitioned I9001 devices
DiKei said:
How can i know about broken partitions ?
Because i have ~7 months left to change my phone, and i don't want to brick my phone which i love much <3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your device is booting and running fine, you dont have to worry about these things at all.
Sent from my GT-I9001 using xda app-developers app

Okay, i flashed the broodROM RC5 over Odin, but i can't still boot the phone.
And i can't make a factory reset / deleting data. The phone just freezes while the process ... Any ideas? Please :/

R: [Tut][I9001] How To Repartition Brocken Partitioned I9001 devices
Imanidiot said:
Okay, i flashed the broodROM RC5 over Odin, but i can't still boot the phone.
And i can't make a factory reset / deleting data. The phone just freezes while the process ... Any ideas? Please :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash stock ROM via odin. Then flash broodROM again. Make sure you followed the instructions in the thread.
Grammar™ is freeware; this means you can use it without paying anything. Though, Grammar™ is not open-source; this means you can't edit source code.

edisile said:
Flash stock ROM via odin. Then flash broodROM again. Make sure you followed the instructions in the thread.
Grammar™ is freeware; this means you can use it without paying anything. Though, Grammar™ is not open-source; this means you can't edit source code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know about my grammar, sorry. And yes okay, I'll try this one
Edit:
Factory reset is still not working...so how can I follow the instructions? :/

Imanidiot said:
I know about my grammar, sorry. And yes okay, I'll try this one
Edit:
Factory reset is still not working...so how can I follow the instructions? :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you stil mount /data & /cache ??
Can you go in /data partition via twrp file manager or aroma file manager ?

Yes I can mount data and cache over the FeaMod recovery.
Well...should I flash twrp again?

Imanidiot said:
Yes I can mount data and cache over the FeaMod recovery.
Well...should I flash twrp again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use aroma file managed too !
just check out that you can enter in /data and remove or.copy files there !

Phone is finally dead now...I got a reset.md5 to reset all partitions, but now it won't even start...I think I can trow it now out of the window

Okay a short summary please.
What are the thing you have done to try to get your phone back to life?

[Q] No boot: 7 vibrations + Black Screen

Containment: remove battery for more than 5 minutes, phone then boots without issues.
Known solution: I don't have one yet for my phone, but could a stock RUU fix it?
Happens on a HTC Desire SV, but I read there's more phones who have the same issue, but no solution yet.
Have the same problem?
- You can leave a reply with details about your situation. Have you rooted you phone, flashed roms, etc? This could help pinpoint the problem and search for a solution.
- Which brand / type do you have? You can vote which brand of phone you have with the same issue. I've listed some popular brands. This could indicate if it's related to one specific brand/type or not.
Other observations and possible explanations:
- Happens after turning off the phone. Possible issue here: is the phone failing to shutdown properly, leaving incorrect code or data in memory?
- Does not happen when restarting the phone.
- Does not happen when switching off the phone with fast boot option (in Settings > Power). There's reason to believe HBOOT is bypassed in this fast boot mode, as it would take more than 2 seconds to go from the black screen to the boot logo in normal boot mode, and in fast boot mode this black screen takes far less than 2 seconds.
- Phone vibrates 7 times after a couple of minutes. I see several hints on hardware failures on the forum: EMMC, overheating CPU, see related issues below. Both do not seem to be the case, since the phone is able to (re)boot containment.Open question here is what does this boot error code mean, and is it part of first or secondary (HBOOT) bootloader? See also next observation:
- Screen remains black when attempting to power-up. This could mean we do not get passed HBOOT. Possible issues: kernel can not be found by HBOOT, or HBOOT can not be started. Again here, it could be interesting to know what exactly makes the phone vibrate 7 times. Is it HBOOT, or firmware?
- Removing the battery for more than 5 minutes solves the issue. Does this mean the phone boots differently when it's just restarted, when it's booted from power-off, or when the battery is pulled and then started? I can think of two possibilities: that the phone attempts to boot from incorrect code in RAM, which is being wiped after the battery is removed long enough, or that some CPU pins remain high when the battery stays in the phone, causing the CPU to boot from another location. Room for thought here as well.
- CWM recovery is flashed, the phone is rooted, but still S-ON. Going back to stock recovery did not fix it. I have some doubt believing that flashing a custom recovery partition can cause something to happen to the boot partition, although in my case, I see the boot partition is located right after the recovery partition. The CWM recoveries I flashed, were about 5MB, while the partition it's placed in is more than 8 MB. So plenty of room to fit CWM recovery in.
Related issues:
- Overheating CPU. Most likely not the case here. Phone does not feel hot at all, never had freezes and such when using the phone.
- 7 times vibrate during welcome screen or even after that. In the case above, the phone doesn't reach that far.
- Hard brick. Issue described above can be called soft-brick maybe. Pulling the battery for more than 5 minutes fixes it until the next shutdown.
That's all I can mention, maybe this is already helpful to some, most certainly when you gave up on your phone thinking it's hard bricked.
So pleae leave a message if you like this thread, hit thanks, and/or vote for the brand that you have the same issue with, and maybe this leads to the solution,

Several boot partitions?
Something I noticed for the HTC Desire SV: the boot partition is in mmcblk0p22 (see /proc/emmc below), but there are 2 other partitions with the same size (mmcblk0p13 and mmcblk0p14, see /proc/partitions further below). Are these alternative /boot partitions?
Code:
/proc/emmc:
dev: size erasesize name
mmcblk0p17: 00040000 00000200 "misc"
mmcblk0p21: 0087f400 00000200 "recovery"
mmcblk0p22: 00400000 00000200 "boot"
mmcblk0p25: 3bdffe00 00000200 "system"
mmcblk0p27: 0ffffe00 00000200 "cache"
mmcblk0p26: 4cfffe00 00000200 "userdata"
mmcblk0p28: 017ade00 00000200 "devlog"
mmcblk0p30: 00040000 00000200 "pdata"
mmcblk0p31: 46800000 00000200 "fat"
mmcblk0p29: 00011c00 00000200 "extra"
/proc/partitions:
major minor #blocks name
179 0 3817472 mmcblk0
179 1 20 mmcblk0p1
179 2 544 mmcblk0p2
179 3 4500 mmcblk0p3
179 4 1 mmcblk0p4
179 5 30000 mmcblk0p5
179 6 12500 mmcblk0p6
179 7 2048 mmcblk0p7
179 8 3072 mmcblk0p8
179 9 2048 mmcblk0p9
179 10 1024 mmcblk0p10
179 11 1024 mmcblk0p11
179 12 8751 mmcblk0p12
179 13 [COLOR="Red"][B]4096[/B][/COLOR] mmcblk0p13
179 14 [COLOR="Red"][B]4096[/B][/COLOR] mmcblk0p14
179 15 1024 mmcblk0p15
179 16 6909 mmcblk0p16
179 17 256 mmcblk0p17
179 18 1024 mmcblk0p18
179 19 1024 mmcblk0p19
179 20 1280 mmcblk0p20
179 21 8701 mmcblk0p21
179 22 [COLOR="Red"][B]4096[/B][/COLOR] mmcblk0p22
179 23 256 mmcblk0p23
179 24 2047 mmcblk0p24
179 25 980991 mmcblk0p25
179 26 1261567 mmcblk0p26
179 27 262143 mmcblk0p27
179 28 24247 mmcblk0p28
179 29 71 mmcblk0p29
179 30 256 mmcblk0p30
179 31 1155072 mmcblk0p31
179 64 7778304 mmcblk1
179 65 7774208 mmcblk1p1

Interesting
Something I stumbled upon by the way:
android/system/bootable/recovery/bootloader.h
Code:
/*
* Copyright (C) 2008 The Android Open Source Project
*
* Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
* You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
* distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
* WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
* See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
* limitations under the License.
*/
#ifndef _RECOVERY_BOOTLOADER_H
#define _RECOVERY_BOOTLOADER_H
/* Bootloader Message
*
* This structure describes the content of a block in flash
* that is used for recovery and the bootloader to talk to
* each other.
*
* The command field is updated by linux when it wants to
* reboot into recovery or to update radio or bootloader firmware.
* It is also updated by the bootloader when firmware update
* is complete (to boot into recovery for any final cleanup)
*
* The status field is written by the bootloader after the
* completion of an "update-radio" or "update-hboot" command.
*
* The recovery field is only written by linux and used
* for the system to send a message to recovery or the
* other way around.
*/
struct bootloader_message {
char command[32];
char status[32];
char recovery[1024];
};
/* Read and write the bootloader command from the "misc" partition.
* These return zero on success.
*/
int get_bootloader_message(struct bootloader_message *out);
int set_bootloader_message(const struct bootloader_message *in);
/* Write an update to the cache partition for update-radio or update-hboot.
* Note, this destroys any filesystem on the cache partition!
* The expected bitmap format is 240x320, 16bpp (2Bpp), RGB 5:6:5.
*/
int write_update_for_bootloader(
const char *update, int update_len,
int bitmap_width, int bitmap_height, int bitmap_bpp,
const char *busy_bitmap, const char *error_bitmap);
#endif

It happens everytime i switch off the device
jheller said:
Containment: remove battery for more than 5 minutes, phone then boots without issues.
Known solution: I don't have one yet for my phone, but could a stock RUU fix it?
Happens on a HTC Desire SV, but I read there's more phones who have the same issue, but no solution yet.
Have the same problem?
- You can leave a reply with details about your situation. Have you rooted you phone, flashed roms, etc? This could help pinpoint the problem and search for a solution.
- Which brand / type do you have? You can vote which brand of phone you have with the same issue. I've listed some popular brands. This could indicate if it's related to one specific brand/type or not.
Other observations and possible explanations:
- Happens after turning off the phone. Possible issue here: is the phone failing to shutdown properly, leaving incorrect code or data in memory?
- Does not happen when restarting the phone.
- Does not happen when switching off the phone with fast boot option (in Settings > Power). There's reason to believe HBOOT is bypassed in this fast boot mode, as it would take more than 2 seconds to go from the black screen to the boot logo in normal boot mode, and in fast boot mode this black screen takes far less than 2 seconds.
- Phone vibrates 7 times after a couple of minutes. I see several hints on hardware failures on the forum: EMMC, overheating CPU, see related issues below. Both do not seem to be the case, since the phone is able to (re)boot containment.Open question here is what does this boot error code mean, and is it part of first or secondary (HBOOT) bootloader? See also next observation:
- Screen remains black when attempting to power-up. This could mean we do not get passed HBOOT. Possible issues: kernel can not be found by HBOOT, or HBOOT can not be started. Again here, it could be interesting to know what exactly makes the phone vibrate 7 times. Is it HBOOT, or firmware?
- Removing the battery for more than 5 minutes solves the issue. Does this mean the phone boots differently when it's just restarted, when it's booted from power-off, or when the battery is pulled and then started? I can think of two possibilities: that the phone attempts to boot from incorrect code in RAM, which is being wiped after the battery is removed long enough, or that some CPU pins remain high when the battery stays in the phone, causing the CPU to boot from another location. Room for thought here as well.
- CWM recovery is flashed, the phone is rooted, but still S-ON. Going back to stock recovery did not fix it. I have some doubt believing that flashing a custom recovery partition can cause something to happen to the boot partition, although in my case, I see the boot partition is located right after the recovery partition. The CWM recoveries I flashed, were about 5MB, while the partition it's placed in is more than 8 MB. So plenty of room to fit CWM recovery in.
Related issues:
- Overheating CPU. Most likely not the case here. Phone does not feel hot at all, never had freezes and such when using the phone.
- 7 times vibrate during welcome screen or even after that. In the case above, the phone doesn't reach that far.
- Hard brick. Issue described above can be called soft-brick maybe. Pulling the battery for more than 5 minutes fixes it until the next shutdown.
That's all I can mention, maybe this is already helpful to some, most certainly when you gave up on your phone thinking it's hard bricked.
So pleae leave a message if you like this thread, hit thanks, and/or vote for the brand that you have the same issue with, and maybe this leads to the solution,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This problem first started when i backedup image of my existing system using the latest version of cwm. after backing up, the phone switched off. it took around 15 mins after reinserting battery to restart it. but again when I switched it off to go into boot menu the phone didint switch on. It has got me worried. I think its because of this new version of CWM. Now I'm waiting for the phone to start again, will probably go directly into recovery and try to boot into 0.8 version
---------- Post added at 04:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:54 AM ----------
The phone denies either starting or going into boot menu. Last time it happened, i had kept my phone idle for hours. So i am unable to find the exact time after which it will supposedly start.

No change in status of the phone.......:crying:
tanaynaik said:
This problem first started when i backedup image of my existing system using the latest version of cwm. after backing up, the phone switched off. it took around 15 mins after reinserting battery to restart it. but again when I switched it off to go into boot menu the phone didint switch on. It has got me worried. I think its because of this new version of CWM. Now I'm waiting for the phone to start again, will probably go directly into recovery and try to boot into 0.8 version
---------- Post added at 04:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:54 AM ----------
The phone denies either starting or going into boot menu. Last time it happened, i had kept my phone idle for hours. So i am unable to find the exact time after which it will supposedly start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I kept the battery out of the phone for different durations of time. All more than 5 mins, Still the phones refrains from switching on. The blinking of charging LED continues and the phone vibrates 7 times after sometime.
Also keeping the battery inside the phone without connecting the charger also causes the phone to vibrate.
Some 1 please help.....This is my daily use phone, and theres no chance of me getting a new deivce of this kind. :fingers-crossed:

FIX for Black Screen after Power Off
But to help many people , still being annoyed by this method .
This issue is experienced when the bootloader is unlocked with HtcDev.
I have a very simple solution to this...
Download RUU from the below link
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p46ly9rs0bguyxu/RUU_MAGNI_DS_ICS_40A_1.07.401.6_system_imadge.exe
YOU SHOULD HAVE S-OFF FOR THIS TO WORK-I will post another tutorial for S-Off
Download adb and fastboot binaries from google.
Extract the binaries to "C:/Android"
1.Open cmd as administrator and type: "cd C:/Android/"
2.Then type "adb reboot bootloader"
Unlocking Bootloader is necessary-Below commands will relock the bootloader.
3.Then type "fastboot oem lock"
4.Type fastboot reboot
5.When device boots on unlock the lock screen and type:"adb reboot bootloader"
6.Now open the RUU file (Link Above)
7.It may take time for the RUU to load.
8.When the RUU loads , minimize it.
8.Check the box and click the last option (towards the left)
9.Wait for the RUU to install.
10.After installing the phone reboots automatically.
11.Now to root your phone again unlock your bootloader with Windroid & Root wih the same application.
12.Framaroot (1.9.3) also works after S-Off.One Click Root APK for Desire SV.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/framaroot/root-framaroot-one-click-apk-to-root-t2130276

akash14darshan said:
This issue is experienced when the bootloader is unlocked with HtcDev.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds plausible and new to me. Can you elaborate on this?
Quite some HTC devices seem to have the 7x vibration issue after unlocking and/or replacing stock recovery. I tend to think it's related to hboot, also pointing into the direction of htcdev causing this.
With hindsight, for me a reason to ditch HTC altogether is the s-off "functionality" which in reality makes it even more difficult to make modifications to /system. Still curious though how you managed to s-off the Desire SV.

jheller said:
That sounds plausible and new to me. Can you elaborate on this?
Quite some HTC devices seem to have the 7x vibration issue after unlocking and/or replacing stock recovery. I tend to think it's related to hboot, also pointing into the direction of htcdev causing this.
With hindsight, for me a reason to ditch HTC altogether is the s-off "functionality" which in reality makes it even more difficult to make modifications to /system. Still curious though how you managed to s-off the Desire SV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is easy to get S-OFF in HTC Desire SV
I just downloaded RumRunner Universal and tried to S-OFF.
But at some stage it used to give me an error : Please flash insecure kernel or custom rom.
So I download a rom from 4pda ( https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B82Fg9xGxxLeZXdnZHhCUHdZcXM/edit ) and flashed it. Still I got the same error at same stage.
So what I did is decompiled the kernel , changed it to insecure one , flashed it in fastboot and ran RumRunner.
And Voila ! My phone got S-OFF
But the ics recovery you compiled was the only serious threat (sorry to say man xD)
Just after installing your recovery , my phone rejected to Boot after switching off. This was fixed by flashing ruu .
---------- Post added at 05:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:46 AM ----------
Sorry I forgot to mention
Everyone else other than jheller , the kernel file is available in the link ( boot.img )
Decompiling can be easy :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFdH_P6fd9U
I used the same tool.
To make the kernel insecure :
Decompile Boot.img file , find default.prop and open it using NOTEPAD++ ONLY!!!
Change ro.secure=0 and ro.adb.secure=0
NOTE: Donot add second second line if it is not present
After changing ro.secure to 0 , save the file and recompile the boot.img file
Flash it in fastboot and download RumRunner : http://rumrunner.us/downloads-2/
Download the universal one for your OS.
And let the rumrunner do the work for you.
After S-OFF , your phone will be in HBOOT , so change it to fastboot and type this in cmd/terminal in pc:
"fastboot oem writecid 11111111" without quotes.
To confirm this ,type:
"fastboot read cid"
This should state your cid is 11111111 ( 8times 1).
CHanging to supercid allows you to flash RUU which will solve the No Boot problem.

Samsung General Galaxy Core LTE SM-G386F knowledge base

In this thread I would like to gather all information about custom roms, recoveries, kernels and root methods suitable for the Samsung Galaxy Core LTE SM-G386F, so that people don't have to look up every single thread in order to find (or, which is true in most of the cases, to not find) their desired solutions. Also this may get developers interested which would be good since there is nearly no developing going on at the moment. It would be very kind of the mods if they'd made this thread a sticky so that everybody can easily access the information.
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DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS
Display - PLS capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors; 540 x 960 pixels, 4.5 inches (~245 ppi pixel density)
Internal Memory - 8 GB, 1 GB RAM
Connectivity - GPRS; EDGE; HSPA; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot; Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP; NFC;
Camera - Back: 5 MP, 2592 х 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash; Front: 0,3 MP
CPU - Renesas MP5232 dual-core SoC (1,2 GHz)
Graphics Chip - PowerVR SGX544
Sensors - Accelerometer, proximity, compass
GPS - with A-GPS, GLONASS
LATEST STOCK ROM
Android OS, v4.2.2
Release date: August 2014
Country: Italy
PDA: G386FXWUANG1
CSC: G386FITVANH1
Download: http://rapidgator.net/file/6a9315a968157e27400354cc6850bfcd/XEF-G386FXWUANG1-20140805095652.zip.html
HOW TO ROOT
First of all: I am NOT responsible for any damage the following guides may do to your phones. Use them at your own risk! If you don't know what you're doing - stop! You have been warned.
Currently there is only one working root method (thanks to freb123 for letting me know!).
Root via Chimera tool
EDIT: You can now manually root your devices!
The necessary files can be downloaded from here: sendbox.fr/pro/yagmbf4ke22i/g386froot.zip.html (thanks to freb123 again for providing us with the files! )
These files can be flashed through ODIN and/or adb. The only thing you need to do is to change the file extension from .md5 to .tar (thanks to mstefanski1987 for figuring that out!)
Note: You still need to install supersu from Google Play after flashing.
Again: Use this at your own risk and only if you're completely aware of what you're doing.
Download ODIN 3.07: http://www.mediafire.com/download/khxp78iwthsukji/Odin+3.07+BY+taringuero_d+.rar
Download Samsung USB driver: http://developer.samsung.com/board/download.do?bdId=0000000700&attachId=0000000001
Requirements - Computer running Windows XP or above; Chimera Tool: https://chimeratool.com/application/142; All-in-one driver package: https://pics.chimeratool.com/drivers/chimera_drivers.exe; USB debugging enabled in phone
1. Download the linked packages
2. Install the drivers first and the program itself afterwards
3. Launch chimera tool
4. You will have to log in in order to proceed. To do so you'll need to sign up for a free chimera account here: https://chimeratool.com/register (this account expires after three days)
5. Connect your phone via USB with USB debugging enabled
6. If the phone is recognized correctly, the program will display your device model and five options (Info, Repair, Root/Unroot, Firmware Update and Factory Unlock)
7. Click "Root/Unroot"
8. The rooting process is automated so everything from 7. on should happen automatically. However, the program prompted me to manually enter download mode. If that's the case, simply disconnect your phone from USB, turn it off and enter download mode by following the on-screen instructions. After entering download mode reconnect your phone via USB and rooting should finish.
9. Since the program does NOT install supersu, you'll have to manually install it via Google Play.
10. That's it - your device is rooted!
CUSTOM ROMS & KERNELS
None yet
CUSTOM RECOVERY (TWRP,CWM)
None yet
Note: This thread will be updated as soon as I receive new information about the listed sections. If there is anything you wish to add or contribute (I'd love you to do that, believe me ) feel free to comment!

Thx for this thread.
Could we use the root.tar.md5 downloaded by chimera and root directly with adb or odin ?

freb123 said:
Thx for this thread.
Could we use the root.tar.md5 downloaded by chimera and root directly with adb or odin ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should work, I'll give it a try when I'm on my Windows PC and report back.
Btw: You can also use the thanks-button if you want to thank me

Thx for this thread, my Core LTE will appreciate :good:

freb123 said:
Thx for this thread.
Could we use the root.tar.md5 downloaded by chimera and root directly with adb or odin ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know where chimera tool puts the downloaded files? I can't seem to find them.
If they can be taken from any directory, flashing via ODIN or adb should be no problem, since that's what the tool does as well.

bchzmlsn said:
Do you know where chimera tool puts the downloaded files? I can't seem to find them.
If they can be taken from any directory, flashing via ODIN or adb should be no problem, since that's what the tool does as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, in the directory where you launh chimera (/backup/gm-386), but files are deleted after root. You can get them just after chimera asks you to put the phone off.
If you are already rooted, you need to unroot your phone to see them again ! (voodoo ota root keeper can help you...)
I send you the link to the file in PM (can't include a link, not enough posts in the forum).
sendbox.fr/pro/yagmbf4ke22i/g386froot.zip.html

freb123 said:
Yes, in the directory where you launh chimera (/backup/gm-386), but files are deleted after root. You can get them just after chimera asks you to put the phone off.
If you are already rooted, you need to unroot your phone to see them again ! (voodoo ota root keeper can help you...)
I send you the link to the file in PM (can't include a link, not enough posts in the forum).
sendbox.fr/pro/yagmbf4ke22i/g386froot.zip.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!
I've updated the initial post and attached the files.

When i try to use attached file with Odin 3.07 I get this:
Code:
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> MD5 hash value is invalid
<OSM> sm-g386f_root.tar.md5 is invalid.
<OSM> End...
What am I doing wrong?
I am trying to get root so I can dump recovery image and start working on it. Any help is appreciated.
EDIT:
Figured it out, I had to change extension from .tar.md5 to .tar.
MANUAL ROOT METHOD IS WORKING.
EDIT 2:
I've added CWM to builder queue: builder-clockworkmod-com/done?build_id=16f0aab3c75f41c0a46f1aa4fdb4b407

There is a recovery.img file in the archive (open the .tar with winrar).

it made my day, can confirm that manual root works

By uploading this file I can void some flag or triangle or it is with samsung signature ?
PS I know root is nonlegal

I've dumped boot.img and I'll try to create recovery later today.
Partition table for reference:
Code:
major minor #blocks name
253 0 153600 zram0
179 0 7634944 mmcblk0
179 1 1024 mmcblk0p1
179 2 20480 mmcblk0p2
179 3 6144 mmcblk0p3
179 4 6144 mmcblk0p4
179 5 6144 mmcblk0p5
179 6 2048 mmcblk0p6
179 7 2048 mmcblk0p7
259 0 8192 mmcblk0p8
259 1 10240 mmcblk0p9 - kernel
259 2 10240 mmcblk0p10 - recovery
259 3 2048 mmcblk0p11
259 4 6144 mmcblk0p12
259 5 32768 mmcblk0p13
259 6 6144 mmcblk0p14
259 7 6144 mmcblk0p15
259 8 256 mmcblk0p16
259 9 2048 mmcblk0p17
259 10 204800 mmcblk0p18
259 11 1510400 mmcblk0p19 - system
259 12 51200 mmcblk0p20
259 13 5730304 mmcblk0p21 - data
179 16 4096 mmcblk0boot1
179 8 4096 mmcblk0boot0
Well, I tried. Any idea why I get this after trying to boot freshly compiled recovery? Is bootloader locked or what?
Normal boot logo byt with red exclamation mark in the top left corner and then nothing.
i-imgur-com/32XyqR5.jpg
EDIT: Trying again, will post results. Here is my recovery.fstab:
Code:
# mount point fstype device [device2]
/tmp ramdisk
/efs ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
/boot emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p9
/recovery emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p10
/cache ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p18
/system ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p19
/preload ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p20
/data ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p21
/sdcard vfat /dev/block/mmcblk1p1

mstefanski1987 said:
I've dumped boot.img and I'll try to create recovery later today.
Partition table for reference:
Code:
major minor #blocks name
253 0 153600 zram0
179 0 7634944 mmcblk0
Well, I tried. Any idea why I get this after trying to boot freshly compiled recovery? Is bootloader locked or what?
Normal boot logo byt with red exclamation mark in the top left corner and then nothing.
i-imgur-com/32XyqR5.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe because your recover is not valid ( samsung signature )
Like in my question above.
If you upload sm-g386f_root.tar you will have red exclamation ? or something else ?

No, everything worked ok.

After uploading of this file all work fine, root working, but in samsung phone info app we have "Bootloader version: unknow". But I think, after reflash of original ROM it will be overwrited.

freb123 said:
There is a recovery.img file in the archive (open the .tar with winrar).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is but flashing it won't get you to CWM recovery (or I am doing something wrong). That's why I am trying to compile ClockWorkMod on my own.
I have little to none experience with compiling anything for android (built sony xperia j kernel from sources once). So far I've managed to fail once - compiled CM11 CWM instead of CM 10.1 and without modyfing recovery.fstab, which I presumed would be autogenerated from boot.img. I've fixed thoe mistakes and I will try to compile it again today.
In the meantme I've found that little red exclamation mark signifies that the device has been rooted at least once, so I guess it is not a problem to boot custom recovery once I get compiling it right.
Many fails are inbound, as I learn all the things along the way. Wish me luck.

mstefanski1987 said:
Figured it out, I had to change extension from .tar.md5 to .tar.
MANUAL ROOT METHOD IS WORKING.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much, manual root method is really working if you rename the file ! For me this is the only root method that works :good: (root method with chimera tool does not work for me (device is listed as "unknown") )

mstefanski1987 said:
Figured it out, I had to change extension from .tar.md5 to .tar.
MANUAL ROOT METHOD IS WORKING.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much!
I've put this into the initial post

Core 4G - Best price now
In France the Samsung Core 4G is at 119 euros
Compared to Wiko Kite or Archos 45 HELIUM 4G, I'd like to buy that one.
But, the best configuration would be with the last kitkat OS.
So, I'd like to root, install if possible CyanogenMod...
If I understand all the discussion, it seems to be possible to root it (possible for France ?)
Can we install CyanogenMod ?

eleger91 said:
If I understand all the discussion, it seems to be possible to root it (possible for France ?)
Can we install CyanogenMod ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Salut. Oui le root est possible (la méthode manuelle semble bien marcher), par contre il n'y a pour l'instant ni custom recovery, ni rom kitkat.
Root is possible (manual method is ok) but no custom recovery and no kitkat rom.

Potential Sim unlock method :) - Need Help

EDIT: Please see all updates in BOLD
UPDATE: I am now unlocked. I've compared my partitions before and after and haven't found anything yet... i'll keep digging.
In the mean time more DATA (dumps) would be ideal
UPDATE2: No luck here guys seems that the modemst1 and modemst2 partitions hold the unlock info. After reflashing the originals it locks again, but then when flashing the 'unlocked' partitions it doesn't unlock until I run the unlock app again.
I unlocked mine through an online service (there are many) but if your phone hasn't been activated on T-Mobile then you won't be in their system and can't unlock that way
Hi guys, thanks for taking time to check out my thread.
I am new to LG and hope to help here :0
I am receiving a LG G5 in the mail in approx 1 week.
I would like to get a jump start on my sim unlock. I WON'T be able to use the Tmobile app and I would rather do it myself than pay a 3rd party (although happy to do so, it is much more fun this way).
BTW I may be new to LG but I am not new to sim unlocking....
See signatures for:
Found HTC M9 GSM partition unlock (this was mmcblk0p52 that contained sim unlock)
Offer FREE HTC Sprint, Samsung Sprint, Samsung T-mobile 2015 unlock service
What I need from you....
I will need to remote connect (don't get paranoid, to the phone only) and check out the partitions and make a dump of them several times...DONE - thanks to @androfun for the remote connect and partitions
I will need these uploaded so I can retrieve them..DONE
Next step is to compare partitions and remove those that 'change' - DIDN'T SHOW A LOT NEED MORE DUMPS
Obtained Partition Table
Click here
Code:
major minor #blocks name
7 0 32768 loop0
254 0 972380 zram0
8 16 32768 sdb
8 17 3072 sdb1
8 18 3072 sdb2
8 19 4096 sdb3
8 20 16384 sdb4
8 21 2048 sdb5
8 22 1024 sdb6
8 23 1024 sdb7
8 24 4 sdb8
8 0 30912512 sda
8 1 49152 sda1
8 2 32768 sda2
8 3 10240 sda3
8 4 6144 sda4
8 5 32768 sda5
8 6 16384 sda6
8 7 8192 sda7
8 8 40960 sda8
8 9 47104 sda9
8 10 512 sda10
8 11 512 sda11
8 12 512 sda12
8 13 512 sda13
8 14 512 sda14
8 15 32768 sda15
259 0 4718592 sda16
259 1 1261568 sda17
259 2 24649728 sda18
259 3 3540 sda19
8 64 237568 sde
8 65 40960 sde1
8 66 40960 sde2
8 67 40960 sde3
8 68 2048 sde4
8 69 2048 sde5
8 70 2048 sde6
8 71 2048 sde7
8 72 4096 sde8
8 73 4096 sde9
8 74 512 sde10
8 75 512 sde11
8 76 512 sde12
8 77 512 sde13
8 78 512 sde14
8 79 512 sde15
259 4 128 sde16
259 5 128 sde17
259 6 88064 sde18
259 7 512 sde19
259 8 512 sde20
259 9 512 sde21
259 10 512 sde22
259 11 512 sde23
259 12 512 sde24
259 13 512 sde25
259 14 512 sde26
259 15 512 sde27
259 16 512 sde28
259 17 4 sde29
8 96 8192 sdg
8 97 2048 sdg1
8 98 4 sdg2
8 48 8192 sdd
8 49 2048 sdd1
8 50 32 sdd2
8 51 4 sdd3
8 52 4 sdd4
8 32 8192 sdc
8 33 3072 sdc1
8 34 3072 sdc2
8 35 4 sdc3
8 80 8192 sdf
8 81 2048 sdf1
8 82 2048 sdf2
8 83 512 sdf3
8 84 4 sdf4
Still need partitions from at least one more locked device and one unlocked
I have attached a bat file rename from .bat.txt to .bat and run on PC.
You will need SU and pref grant USB auth and SU before running bat file
Then upload and PM me link
Ideally I would like partitions from a SIM LOCKED device and and SIM UNLOCKED device, but I'll take what I can get.
Those that are able to contribufte please PM me here on XDA
Worst case i'll figure it out by myself next week
Thanks all
Stifilz

I'm in the same boat as you as in not getting my phone until next week or else I would help. I hope you figure it out so we don't have to go through the pain of T-Mobile

stifilz said:
Hi guys, thanks for taking time to check out my thread.
I am new to LG and hope to help here :0
I am receiving a LG G5 in the mail in approx 1 week.
I would like to get a jump start on my sim unlock. I WON'T be able to use the Tmobile app and I would rather do it myself than pay a 3rd party (although happy to do so, it is much more fun this way).
BTW I may be new to LG but I am not new to sim unlocking....
See signatures for:
Found HTC M9 GSM partition unlock (this was mmcblk0p52 that contained sim unlock)
Offer FREE HTC Sprint, Samsung Sprint, Samsung T-mobile 2015 unlock service
What I need from you....
I will need to remote connect (don't get paranoid, to the phone only) and check out the partitions and make a dump of them several times...
I will need these uploaded so I can retrieve them..
Next step is to compare partitions and remove those that 'change'
Ideally I would like partitions from a SIM LOCKED device and and SIM UNLOCKED device, but I'll take what I can get.
Those that are able to contribufte please PM me here on XDA
Worst case i'll figure it out by myself next week
Thanks all
Stifilz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The moment I have a chance I'll pm you i have a locked one.
Sent from my LG-H830 using XDA-Developers mobile app

I have my device it's locked to t-mobile and am having a nightmare trying to get it unlocked.
Will reach out my device is rooted and such will let you know

I can probably dump the device partitions and upload it, my device is unlocked, I'll see what I can do later today.

I wish
I wish you could do that..
Bought T-Mobile locked phone on eBay and I have no idea what to do to unlock it

I have a locked T-Mobile LG G5. Feel free to PM me.

stifilz said:
Hi guys, thanks for taking time to check out my thread.
I am new to LG and hope to help here :0
I am receiving a LG G5 in the mail in approx 1 week.
I would like to get a jump start on my sim unlock. I WON'T be able to use the Tmobile app and I would rather do it myself than pay a 3rd party (although happy to do so, it is much more fun this way).
BTW I may be new to LG but I am not new to sim unlocking....
See signatures for:
Found HTC M9 GSM partition unlock (this was mmcblk0p52 that contained sim unlock)
Offer FREE HTC Sprint, Samsung Sprint, Samsung T-mobile 2015 unlock service
What I need from you....
I will need to remote connect (don't get paranoid, to the phone only) and check out the partitions and make a dump of them several times...
I will need these uploaded so I can retrieve them..
Next step is to compare partitions and remove those that 'change'
Ideally I would like partitions from a SIM LOCKED device and and SIM UNLOCKED device, but I'll take what I can get.
Those that are able to contribufte please PM me here on XDA
Worst case i'll figure it out by myself next week
Thanks all
Stifilz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get all the PM info you need?

Dark Nightmare said:
I can probably dump the device partitions and upload it, my device is unlocked, I'll see what I can do later today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm getting all the partitions tonight so i'll remove the redundant ones and update the thread tonight

Partitions uploaded and provided a link through PM
Its for a LG G5 locked device. Please let me know that you got it.
Thanks

vmartinez39 said:
Partitions uploaded and provided a link through PM
Its for a LG G5 locked device. Please let me know that you got it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Downloaded, you can remove them now

Ok guys, that's 2 dumps from LOCKED devices, need the all important unlocked one now

@waylo has an unlocked H830 right?
Sent from my LG-H830 using XDA-Developers mobile app

If you want to provide the dump commands I can do it.

No luck here guys seems that the modemst1 and modemst2 partitions hold the unlock info. After reflashing the originals it locks again, but then when flashing the 'unlocked' partitions it doesn't unlock until I run the unlock app again.
I unlocked mine through an online service (there are many) but if your phone hasn't been activated on T-Mobile then you won't be in their system and can't unlock that way

stifilz said:
No luck here guys seems that the modemst1 and modemst2 partitions hold the unlock info. After reflashing the originals it locks again, but then when flashing the 'unlocked' partitions it doesn't unlock until I run the unlock app again.
I unlocked mine through an online service (there are many) but if your phone hasn't been activated on T-Mobile then you won't be in their system and can't unlock that way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I were to flash the "unlocked" partitions and then try the app do you think it would work? I'm sick of waiting to be able to use my G5

joshuadjohnson22 said:
If I were to flash the "unlocked" partitions and then try the app do you think it would work? I'm sick of waiting to be able to use my G5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant that I had no service and had to Reflash my LOCKED partitions before I could use the unlock app.

Any luck here ?
Sent from my SM-G928F using XDA-Developers mobile app

stifilz said:
No luck here guys seems that the modemst1 and modemst2 partitions hold the unlock info. After reflashing the originals it locks again, but then when flashing the 'unlocked' partitions it doesn't unlock until I run the unlock app again.
I unlocked mine through an online service (there are many) but if your phone hasn't been activated on T-Mobile then you won't be in their system and can't unlock that way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little noobish.. but what if you remove the tmobile app and all its essentials from the base rom.. and then try flashing the partitions?

jkhan49 said:
A little noobish.. but what if you remove the tmobile app and all its essentials from the base rom.. and then try flashing the partitions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think for that to work someone would need to do a full port or partial port of a 850 Rom. I think the unlock app receives the signal from the t mobile servers and inputs your real unlock code which updates the partition accordingly. Without it I don't know of any work around to put the unlock code(they probably blocked it). Now I don't know if this is how it really works but in my brain this is how I think it works. I was able to get my code from Freeunlocks.com but it is useless for me at this point. I'm hoping a work around will show up cuz this is so annoying and t mobile has been so unresponsive.

Custom Recovery for rooted 6th Gen Fire HD 8 Tablets? (Exploratory Discussion)

I was just wondering if the partition structure on the 5th gen fire hd tablet was the same as the 6th gen.
Looked at
HTML:
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/devices/kindle-fire/specifications/01-device-and-feature-specifications
to compare hardware. It does bear same chipset manufacture as Fire HD 6 (2014)<KFARWI>,Fire HD 10 (2015)<KFTBWI>, and Fire (2015)<KFFOWI>, so maybe they retain the same partitioning structure/scheme, which would be nice. Now that root is possible, can anyone advise if they have had any luck with flashing a custom recovery. I was about to cancel this post because I realize the bootloader is locked. However I was wondering if this might provide some pathways: https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-hd/development/bootloader-unlock-t3129630 and apply to the 6th gen unit.
Food for thought. I might try it and see what happens. Unless someone more braver than me wants to try it, please advise. I'll look into it later.
TWRP on this would be sweet.
I did run this real quick:
Code:
C:\dump\adt-bundle\sdk\platform-tools>adb shell
[email protected]:/ $ su
[email protected]:/ # cat /proc/partitions
major minor #blocks name
7 0 79688 loop0
179 0 15388672 mmcblk0
179 1 3072 mmcblk0p1
179 2 5120 mmcblk0p2
179 3 10240 mmcblk0p3
179 4 10240 mmcblk0p4
179 5 256 mmcblk0p5
179 6 500 mmcblk0p6
179 7 16268 mmcblk0p7
179 8 16384 mmcblk0p8
179 9 6144 mmcblk0p9
179 10 512 mmcblk0p10
179 11 8192 mmcblk0p11
179 12 10240 mmcblk0p12
179 13 1024 mmcblk0p13
179 14 5120 mmcblk0p14
179 15 5120 mmcblk0p15
179 16 40320 mmcblk0p16
179 17 1024 mmcblk0p17
179 18 1024 mmcblk0p18
179 19 1653024 mmcblk0p19
179 20 434176 mmcblk0p20
179 21 512 mmcblk0p21
179 22 16384 mmcblk0p22
179 23 4320 mmcblk0p23
179 24 13138927 mmcblk0p24
179 96 4096 mmcblk0rpmb
179 64 4096 mmcblk0boot1
179 32 1024 mmcblk0boot0
179 33 2 mmcblk0boot0p1
179 34 2 mmcblk0boot0p2
179 35 256 mmcblk0boot0p3
179 36 747 mmcblk0boot0p4
[email protected]:/ #
15388672 mmcblk0 might be the recovery partition as noted from that other thread linked above.
eh...scratch that..i guess based on older rsa bug which later fire OS fixed. oh well.might still try it though since have more powerful permissions now (su).

For Reference <or enlightenment>
MT8163
CPU ISA CPU CPU cache GPU Memory technology Wireless radio technologies Released
ARMv8 1.3 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 Mali-T720 MP2 @ 520 MHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM, GPS Q2 2015
Acer B3-A20-K8UH
BQ Aquaris M10
Asus ZenPad 10 (Z300M)
Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380M)
Amazon Fire HD (6th generation)
from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_devices_using_Mediatek_tablet_processors
https://www.asus.com/zentalk/thread-88877-1-1.html
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/guide-bq-aquaris-m10-freezerhd-twrp-root-t3523833
I found bootimg.exe and extracted the boot.img from the .bin file to take a peek...but I think if any changes were made and file recreated and flashed over would presumably fail due to locked bootloader. Not sure if this unit is unlocked, just had the same chipset..I dunno.Just looking at things.lol.

smokejumper76 said:
For Reference <or enlightenment>
MT8163
CPU ISA CPU CPU cache GPU Memory technology Wireless radio technologies Released
ARMv8 1.3 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 Mali-T720 MP2 @ 520 MHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM, GPS Q2 2015
Acer B3-A20-K8UH
BQ Aquaris M10
Asus ZenPad 10 (Z300M)
Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380M)
Amazon Fire HD (6th generation)
from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_devices_using_Mediatek_tablet_processors
https://www.asus.com/zentalk/thread-88877-1-1.html
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/guide-bq-aquaris-m10-freezerhd-twrp-root-t3523833
I found bootimg.exe and extracted the boot.img from the .bin file to take a peek...but I think if any changes were made and file recreated and flashed over would presumably fail due to locked bootloader. Not sure if this unit is unlocked, just had the same chipset..I dunno.Just looking at things.lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking it's definitely locked. I ran a few commands from adb while in fastboot mode and always get back that the commands aren't allowed on locked hw.

unlock
try fastboot getvar all
it will shows an unlock_code

emas73 said:
try fastboot getvar all
it will shows an unlock_code
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes. However, is this the public key? They (mediatek <chipset manufacture SOC>/amazon <brand name>/quanta computer <the actual manufacturer> might use 2 key firmware signing. So, they will have a master private (secret) key. and each device has a generated public key unique to each device. Those 2 keys get crypto'd together to sign the firmware/bootloader. So, as a result only firmware signed by the master key can be loaded on the device. I can be totally wrong. But the more people asking questions, researching, arguing (lol), etc., the closer we may get to trying to find a way to unlock the bootloader. I hope a way will be found. I will give the first person to find a way a big shinny nickel (I'm a cheap bastard).

Under developer options is a setting called OEM unlocking.
I tried enabling it, but it will not stick.
I wonder where this is located in the code...
Sent from my KFGIWI using Tapatalk

I don't have this tablet, but I have the Asus Z380M (same chipset). I was just wondering, has anyone even tried to build and flash a custom recovery onto this device? We just made a TWRP build for the Z380M and it boots and works perfectly. Best part: you don't even have to unlock the bootloader! Everyone's just assuming that a locked bootloader will refuse to boot unofficial images. But has this been tested? It should at least be able to boot self-signed images. Since you have root already, it shouldn't be too hard to flash a recovery. See this thread here for some information that might help you. There's even a method to flash stuff onto a locked MediaTek device from a PC that might work for this Fire HD.

diplomatic said:
I don't have this tablet, but I have the Asus Z380M (same chipset). I was just wondering, has anyone even tried to build and flash a custom recovery onto this device? We just made a TWRP build for the Z380M and it boots and works perfectly. Best part: you don't even have to unlock the bootloader! Everyone's just assuming that a locked bootloader will refuse to boot unofficial images. But has this been tested? It should at least be able to boot self-signed images. Since you have root already, it shouldn't be too hard to flash a recovery. See this thread here for some information that might help you. There's even a method to flash stuff onto a locked MediaTek device from a PC that might work for this Fire HD.
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You win the internet today! I looked at that thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/twrp-custom-recovery-asus-zenpad-8-0-t3588765
You need a scatter file (partition structure file) for the particular device. However making a scatter seems to be pretty easy <and i wouldn't be surprised if the partition structure is somewhat similar due to being same the same chipset..but I'd rather have one for the actual device..lol> I'm sure there is a thread here on XDA too on how to make a scatter file. Then just apply those instructions to that that zenpad thread. Very interesting indeed!
:
https://androidmtk.com/create-scatter-file-for-mtk-devices
So, maybe this is theoretically possible. I might try it, but someone else I'm sure will beat me to it (hint hint)...<and maybe do a write up>. I'll hmm and haw and look into it. Good work!

diplomatic said:
I don't have this tablet, but I have the Asus Z380M (same chipset). I was just wondering, has anyone even tried to build and flash a custom recovery onto this device? We just made a TWRP build for the Z380M and it boots and works perfectly. Best part: you don't even have to unlock the bootloader! Everyone's just assuming that a locked bootloader will refuse to boot unofficial images. But has this been tested? It should at least be able to boot self-signed images. Since you have root already, it shouldn't be too hard to flash a recovery. See this thread here for some information that might help you. There's even a method to flash stuff onto a locked MediaTek device from a PC that might work for this Fire HD.
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So I tried creating a scatter file, but I'm not having much luck. I don't think MTK Droid Tools works with later MediaTek Chipsets like the mt8163.
It brings up the following info when I load it up USB debugging enabled and phone connected and device shows up via "adb devices" command:
Code:
Hardware : MT8163
Model : KFGIWI
Build number : LVY48F
Build date UTC : 20160918-002858
Android v : 5.1.1
Baseband v: -----
Kernel v : 3.18.19-g9fc382b ([email protected]) (gcc version 4.9 20140514 (prerelease) (GCC) ) #1 SMP Sun Sep 18 00:32:41 UTC 2016
But clicking on the "Blocks Map" button just shows
Code:
bmtpool scatter/00000000 byte size 0
And that's it.
Then, I tried to "manually" create it. In an ADB shell there are tutorials that show you to issue the command:
Code:
cat /proc/mtd
but I don't get anything:
Code:
[email protected]:/ $ cat /proc/mtd
dev: size erasesize name
Tried it via su and same thing. Any ideas?

Wait, before you bother with creating the scatter file and what not, have you checked to see if your tablet exposes the MediaTek USB interface that Flashtool can use? When you plug in the USB cable with the tablet powered off, do you get a Mediatek Preloader USB VCOM device (VID 0E8D, PID 2000) on your PC? What about when you hold the volume up or volume down as you plug in? Do you see a Mediatek USB Port (VID 0E8D, PID 0003)? If you get the first one, that's good. If you get the latter one, that's very good, because that's the boot ROM that's built into the SoC. It's independent of any code on the EMMC, so may be able to flash stuff even to a bricked unit.
When I made the scatter file for the Z380M, I did it the cowboy way. The droid tools didn't work for me either, of course. All the information you need to make the scatter file is already on the GPT. You just need to read back the first few sectors of the "disk" and save it on your computer. Then use your favorite hex editor and a hex calculator to crunch the LBA numbers into partition addresses and sizes. This is the information that every scatter file boils down to.
I believe you don't need to have an accurate scatter file to read back data. You can start with the one from the Z380M, and then see if you can read back anything with SP Flash Tool. At the same time, you can check if your tablet exposes the low-level USB interfaces.
But if you already have root, why don't you just try to build a recovery for your device and flash it with Busybox/dd? I mean, I don't think there's anything that SP Flash Tool can do for you that you can't already do with a root shell...except to serve as an emergency flashing option. That was kind of the point of my last post.

smokejumper76 said:
You need a scatter file (partition structure file) for the particular device. However making a scatter seems to be pretty easy <and i wouldn't be surprised if the partition structure is somewhat similar due to being same the same chipset..but I'd rather have one for the actual device..lol> I'm sure there is a thread here on XDA too on how to make a scatter file. Then just apply those instructions to that that zenpad thread. Very interesting indeed!
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Did you or anyone else ever get anywhere with this? I didn't mean to say you have to do it all yourself. I can help you build the scatter file, etc. if you send me the GPT (i.e. first 4KB or so of mmcblk0).

diplomatic said:
Did you or anyone else ever get anywhere with this? I didn't mean to say you have to do it all yourself. I can help you build the scatter file, etc. if you send me the GPT (i.e. first 4KB or so of mmcblk0).
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So far as I know, it's not possible to make a scatter file for the HD 8...at least not possible for UNROOTED ones. Amazon has several security and locking features in place which lock that information on the other side of the bootloader. So programs such as MTK Droid Tools, won't be able to read the code to create a scatter file. Unfortunately this is the case with nearly every phone with a locked bootloader, unless your provider or manufacturer allows it to be unlocked through official channels.
Looking on the deepweb I've seen posts in forums in China (where a significant portion of one click rooting software comes from) and there is supposedly exploits for the newest MTXXXX's, but I have yet to find anything. There are very few exploits for the MT8XXX types. Most exploits are for the MT6XXX types.

DragonFire1024 said:
So far as I know, it's not possible to make a scatter file for the HD 8...at least not possible for UNROOTED ones. Amazon has several security and locking features in place which lock that information on the other side of the bootloader. So programs such as MTK Droid Tools, won't be able to read the code to create a scatter file. Unfortunately this is the case with nearly every phone with a locked bootloader, unless your provider or manufacturer allows it to be unlocked through official channels.
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Well, I'm talking about creating the scatter file manually, like I did for my locked/unrooted Asus ZenPad 8.0. No root tools or any special apps necessary. I'm not sure you understand what a scatter file contains. It is simply the partition layout of the device's flash memory and some parameters of each partition relevant to SP Flash Tool. If you have root and busybox you already have everything you need to make one. Just read back the GPT (dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=gpt.bin bs=4K count=1) and open with a hex editor and do some number crunching. It might even be possible to read the flash memory of a locked device with SP Flash Tool.

diplomatic said:
Well, I'm talking about creating the scatter file manually, like I did for my locked/unrooted Asus ZenPad 8.0. No root tools or any special apps necessary. I'm not sure you understand what a scatter file contains. It is simply the partition layout of the device's flash memory and some parameters of each partition relevant to SP Flash Tool. If you have root and busybox you already have everything you need to make one. Just read back the GPT (dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=gpt.bin bs=4K count=1) and open with a hex editor and do some number crunching. It might even be possible to read the flash memory of a locked device with SP Flash Tool.
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I'm just saying. Plug my Fire HD 8 into the PC> load MTK Droid Tools> Click blocks map> bmtpool 00000000 000000 size: 0

DragonFire1024 said:
I'm just saying. Plug my Fire HD 8 into the PC> load MTK Droid Tools> Click blocks map> bmtpool 00000000 000000 size: 0
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Did you get a chance to try the dd method above, sounds like that should work to get a peek at the partitions?

growlre said:
Did you get a chance to try the dd method above, sounds like that should work to get a peek at the partitions?
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I have not.