Does it worth to update TF300TG if you need it for work? - Transformer TF300T Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all,
As you may assume, I'm the owner of an ASUS TF300TG, since summer'12. During this time, I kept the device updated only with official ROMs. This leads to have currently Android 4.2.1 with what I consider low performance. This pushes me to think on a new ROM, maybe KatKiss with Lollipop or Marshmallow, or even Xubuntu.
The things that take me back from this are the following:
1. I use this device to connect to my company's network. The policy for connecting to such network is no root and no jailbreak. Would it be possible to install a rom without root? I assume so, indeed xubuntu should be recognized as Linux PC.
2. I'm not a programmer, but not only a user. I have installed several PC (window and linux), and flashed once a mobile phone. I'm able to open a command line window and write some commands. But I started to read the xubuntu post, and I wasn't able to follow the messages (at least, the first pages). Is there any place to follow the detailed steps to install a new rom?
3. I would consider a pitty to loose the 3G functionality. Here, I find some kind of contradictions.
a) http://forum.xda-developers.com/transformer-tf300t/accessories/tf300tg-rom-3g-t3270011
Here it's said that asus hasn't released the source code for the 3G module.
b) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2190847
But there's also the xubuntu post, that is stated (if I understood it properly), that 3G module is working. This totally misleads me...
4. After all this, will the effort worth it? I mean, I don't know if the performance improvement will be enough to make up the risk of loosing functionality (or even make it as usable as a brick). I saw some videos over Marshmallow, and it totally encourages me (have to further consider three topics above); I don't find some over xubuntu, and I don't see them so promising...
Thank you in advance for your time reading and answering. I expect your coments [emoji1]
Enviado desde mi ASUS Transformer Pad TF300TG mediante Tapatalk

After more than 150 reads, and no reply, I asked myself what went wrong. I realized that a post with title "Update for TF300TG" that maybe most users would open the post only to check if the there's any update they would like to know. That's the reason why I edited the title into something that avoid misleading.
If this is not the reason not to answer, please let me know.
Regards.

Update TF300TG?
I think you answered your own question in #1. You need it for work, unchanged.
If you were to do anything in the way of changing your ROM, even to xubuntu, then your TF300 would need to be rooted.
Your Asus is old and slow. Nothing you can do will change that.
Maybe you need to get something new and much faster and use it for work.
Then you will still have your TF300 to play with and learn how to root and change roms...
just my opinion,,,, Bob

YMMV but not many custom TF300 ROMs actually lead to a performance gain in the long term (although most may seem very fluid on first few uses). Mostly what they provide is a way to run a more recent Android version on the aging TF300. Gray-Beard phrased this painfully well. It's old and there's nothing you can do to change that.
At the end of the day, Cromi-Xenogenesis 5.4 may just be the best TF300 ROM around. It's great, but make no mistake: this also is just Android 4.2.1
I must say this company policy of "no root, no JB" is absolutely ridiculous. Not only do I doubt this to be verifiable from network perspective, but is the infrastructure THAT insecure that your machine-local EP may pose a security threat to the extent that such a policy is pertinent? And if there IS a BYOD mechanism in place, what happens if you have a windows machine with local admin? Is that also a big no-no? I mean ,God forbid you should have EP on your own bloody device....
On the other hand, xubuntu (or most other linux) isn't that great on TF300, you won't be able to run recent Xorg due to limited ABI support of NVidia's closed-source Tegra3 drivers (thanks NVidia!), probably won't be able to use kernels beyond 3.1.10 (if you do then pls show me how) and the whole thing is just not that stable.

chemizt said:
YMMV but not many custom TF300 ROMs actually lead to a performance gain in the long term (although most may seem very fluid on first few uses). Mostly what they provide is a way to run a more recent Android version on the aging TF300. Gray-Beard phrased this painfully well. It's old and there's nothing you can do to change that.
At the end of the day, Cromi-Xenogenesis 5.4 may just be the best TF300 ROM around. It's great, but make no mistake: this also is just Android 4.2.1
I must say this company policy of "no root, no JB" is absolutely ridiculous. Not only do I doubt this to be verifiable from network perspective, but is the infrastructure THAT insecure that your machine-local EP may pose a security threat to the extent that such a policy is pertinent? And if there IS a BYOD mechanism in place, what happens if you have a windows machine with local admin? Is that also a big no-no? I mean ,God forbid you should have EP on your own bloody device....
On the other hand, xubuntu (or most other linux) isn't that great on TF300, you won't be able to run recent Xorg due to limited ABI support of NVidia's closed-source Tegra3 drivers (thanks NVidia!), probably won't be able to use kernels beyond 3.1.10 (if you do then pls show me how) and the whole thing is just not that stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will share my experience.
I'm on the Cromi-Xenogenesis 5.4, with standard configuration I got a flawless system at the begging, but after few months I got a laggy device, so then I made a full wipe then I reinstalled everything from the scratch. I did it two times in 2 years.
The last time, before I was willing the third wipe, during first days of January 2016, I tried to make some change in the config with Kernel Adiutor and Developer option.
In kernel Adiutor:
- Governor CPU: perfomance
- Internal Memory => Scheduler: cfq
In Developer option:
- disable animation: Window animation scale, Transition animation scale and Animator duration scale
- force rendering on GPU.
Other important suggestions could be:
- use stock browser
- use Nova launcher
- use Twlight for night use (it's a red filter for screen)
- use Swifteky and reduce the keyboard dimension
- use Adaway to remove useless banner
- kill autostart app (like Amazon, Aliexpress, Weather app... etc)
Now maybe my little guide it's useless, but I have a usable tablet still in 2016 for Web, Gmail, little editing of documents, Telegram, Imgur, Youtube (maybe it has little problem here) and Netflix.

I tried KatKiss 6.x (don't remember the exact version number) for TF300T without 3G, then installed "ppp widget 2" (or "ppp widget 3"?) from Google Play and started 3g manually from this application (widget). Android will not automatically switch from Wi-Fi internet to 3G internet (as like in stock), you must switch it manually. Some bugs discovered, for example, I could connect 3G and disconnect only once, when I want to connect 3G again, I had to reboot. device. Maybe will work on some other firmwares?

Related

[Q] Canadian Xoom - Update path to Tiamat

I have a Xoom MZ604 WiFi purchased in Canada. I have updated the OS to HC 3.2 US version. My rationale for this is that I will never be satisfied with the device remaining "Canadian" as any updates will always be delayed or, maybe, never will happen (ref. Motorola Dext/Cliq) for those of us outside of the US. I am not going to waste any more of my time with what might be a semi-orphaned Canadian version of the OS.
The upgrade to HC 3.2 appeared to go without a hitch. However, I have a few questions. If anyone can offer some answers, I would be most grateful.
1. I have found little difference in the stock browser performance when using HC 3.2 compared with HC 3.0.1. Many people seemed to have reported major improvements. I haven't seen these. I am wondering why. I was not really dissatisfied with the browser performance under 3.0.1, though occasionally there were pauses of a few seconds when pages were being loaded. Is my experience unusual?
2. In fact, I have found what seems to be a degradation of stock browser performance under HC 3.2 in two respects. First, I have noted that, when a page is reloaded, e.g. when scrolling, I often see blank rectangles of the screen (maybe 10%), which don't load immediately. There is a delay of a second or so before the page is completely written with these last few pieces of the screen. Second, there have been a few occasions when a browser page has disappeared without me doing anything, and the screen returns to the desktop. When this happens, there is no forced close indication, the web-page just disappears. I have found this to happen particularly on forum.xda-developers.com web-pages, though it may happen on others as well.
3. I noticed this morning that my personally installed apps had disappeared from the desktop. I was just left with the standard ones that come with a clean device. These apps were still in the My Apps list and I restored them by dragging them to the desktop. I am wondering if anyone else has seen this happening.
4. I want to be able to use micro-SDHC cards with full R/W capability and would also like to have a fully functional micro-USB capability (via an OTG cable, which I have), which can see flash-drives formatted with FAT32. For these functions to work, I understand that I will have to use the Tiamat kernel and be rooted. However, what is making me hesitate is that I have seen several notices relating to this, saying that the procedure should only be attempted with US WiFi Xooms. I am speculating that this may simply be because these procedures were tested on a US WiFi Xoom. Can somebody please confirm for me that it should be just as safe to update to rooted/Tiamat with a Canadian-purchased Xoom as it would be for a US one and that the instructions will be the same.
Thank you.
Gordon
Gordon1M said:
I have a Xoom MZ604 WiFi purchased in Canada. I have updated the OS to HC 3.2 US version. My rationale for this is that I will never be satisfied with the device remaining "Canadian" as any updates will always be delayed or, maybe, never will happen (ref. Motorola Dext/Cliq) for those of us outside of the US. I am not going to waste any more of my time with what might be a semi-orphaned Canadian version of the OS.
The upgrade to HC 3.2 appeared to go without a hitch. However, I have a few questions. If anyone can offer some answers, I would be most grateful.
1. I have found little difference in the stock browser performance when using HC 3.2 compared with HC 3.0.1. Many people seemed to have reported major improvements. I haven't seen these. I am wondering why. I was not really dissatisfied with the browser performance under 3.0.1, though occasionally there were pauses of a few seconds when pages were being loaded. Is my experience unusual?
2. In fact, I have found what seems to be a degradation of stock browser performance under HC 3.2 in two respects. First, I have noted that, when a page is reloaded, e.g. when scrolling, I often see blank rectangles of the screen (maybe 10%), which don't load immediately. There is a delay of a second or so before the page is completely written with these last few pieces of the screen. Second, there have been a few occasions when a browser page has disappeared without me doing anything, and the screen returns to the desktop. When this happens, there is no forced close indication, the web-page just disappears. I have found this to happen particularly on forum.xda-developers.com web-pages, though it may happen on others as well.
3. I noticed this morning that my personally installed apps had disappeared from the desktop. I was just left with the standard ones that come with a clean device. These apps were still in the My Apps list and I restored them by dragging them to the desktop. I am wondering if anyone else has seen this happening.
4. I want to be able to use micro-SDHC cards with full R/W capability and would also like to have a fully functional micro-USB capability (via an OTG cable, which I have), which can see flash-drives formatted with FAT32. For these functions to work, I understand that I will have to use the Tiamat kernel and be rooted. However, what is making me hesitate is that I have seen several notices relating to this, saying that the procedure should only be attempted with US WiFi Xooms. I am speculating that this may simply be because these procedures were tested on a US WiFi Xoom. Can somebody please confirm for me that it should be just as safe to update to rooted/Tiamat with a Canadian-purchased Xoom as it would be for a US one and that the instructions will be the same.
Thank you.
Gordon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, since you flashed the US WIFI image, I think it is now, for all intents and purposes, a US Xoom. Root to your heart's content. You will love the Manta Ray Rom, and I use Dolphin HD browser most of the time, and I also use ADW Ex as my launcher. Scrolling between pages (I have 6 of them) is super smooth and the launcher bar is customizable and really handy. There are many really nice themes, too.
Thanks for the reply okantomi. You've added to my confidence to proceed! I think that I have seen that I might have to go back to HC 3.1 before rooting and proceeding to Tiamat, but I am not sure. Still researching.
Thanks again.
Gordon
[Edit] Just noticed the thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1170774. I guess I can go straight from stock HC 3.2 to Tiamat.

[Q] Dual-booted TF101 optimised for work.

Greetings,
I have looked at information on the internet (including this forum) with regards to loading different a different OS onto the TF101. There is a lot of information on how to do it, but very little explaining how satisfactory the result is.
Here is my situation:
I have ordered a refurbished TF101 + Dock for under $400 delivered. This is covered by a 12-Month warranty.
My plan was to use this device primarily as a work-oriented device. I am studying law and am required to take excessive notes, apply for clerkships, and write fully referenced (NB: footnoted) essays.
I only have 2gb per month of mobile data which means I spend a lot of time at various educational institutions. I also work mobile pretty often (train ride into city, etc). Essentially I'll be using this primarily as a netbook with an awesome battery life
While the TF101 seems like an perfect device for someone with my lifestyle, the lack of any android app which allows for footnoting is unforgivable. The decision to dual-boot ubuntu is a logical solution.
Onto my questions:
1. Is there any issue setting up dualboot on a TF101 from a bootable USB drive on a windows based OS?
2. How does ubuntu run on the TF101 in terms of productivity? I have read about what functions are supported; but I'm wondering how it all works in practice. It doesn't seem like anyone has turned their TF101 into an ultrabook with a killer battery life and tablet functionality.
3. I have read that bricking is always reversible. Is this the case? I don't plan on deviating from instructions from xda. I understand that there is always a risk, I just want to know my chances.
4. Does it matter whether HC or ICS is loaded on this tablet when it arrives? Are there any steps I should take to update the OS before dual-booting
5. Are there any drawbacks to clocking to 1.4Ghz? Does this affect battery life and if so, to what extent?
6. Is there a lite version of ubuntu I could dual-boot on my TF101 to improve performance/work efficiency? If so, how would this change the instructions listed: http://forum.xda-developers.com/wik..._an_Asus_EEEPad_Transformer#Installing_Ubuntu. Would installing a lite version be necessary? Could the TF101 handle full office applications running a full version of ubuntu without increasing the clock speed? I'm just trying to get a sense of how sharp the TF101 feels running programs on ubuntu.
7. Are there any other things I should consider to optimise my TF101 to perform at the level I indicated?
Thanks for bearing with me. If it seems like I've bought the wrong device, I just find it amazing that I could have a low-spec ultrabook and a tablet with a battery life better than both for under $400. I figure I can boot android for tablet use (calendar, browsing, reading) and ubuntu when I need to get some serious office-type work done
Thanks again for reading.
Let me try to address these one at a time to help you out with your purchase, also glad to see you pick the TF It's a wonderful tablet.
"This is covered by a 12-Month warranty." - If you install Ubuntu, root or otherwise, it will almost Surely void this warranty, so be careful as it is refurbished, inspect carefully and make sure it isn't a lemon (bad tablet).
"the lack of any android app which allows for footnoting is unforgivable" - Quickoffice seems to support this, although it is $20 -- link.
1. A bootable USB stick setup on windows WILL NOT work on the tf, you must use the Android Debug Bridge to install it on the tf. Instructions in link below.
2. It works, but not like desktop ubuntu, as the ARM processor doesn't support 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit applications. So WINE WILL NOT work, AT ALL.
Read what will and will not work here.
3. This is heavily dependant on the version of your tablet, older (b60 or lower) devices have sbkv1 and therefore support NVFlash, which means you can always (unless you.. microwaved your tablet or something..) restore a brick. If you have a newer (most b70s and all b80s and up) sbkv2 tablet like mine, it will not work. If you follow instructions carefully when messing with your device though it's pretty hard to COMPLETELY brick it, although all user data can be at risk.
NOTE! If you have a tablet with sbkv2 you Can Not install Ubuntu on it with the installer. I won't say At All, as there is probably a way, but it would be very hard.
4. You would probably want to update to ICS first, Asus provides this update through ota updates pushed to the transformer or off of their website. It is a smoother experience. Or you could root and flash a custom ROM, (even smoother! ) Also see #5
5. If you want to overclock to 1.4 Ghz you Must Root and flash a custom rom and Kernel (important) that supports overclocking, and may not be able to use ubuntu at the same time as it seems to overwrite the recovery slot (correct me if I'm wrong someone). It does affect battery life by a noticeable amount, (roughly 20% would be my guess) and you really shouldn't need to OC if you're just word processing though. The tf is a pretty fast tablet xD I overclock mine to 1.2 for general use and gaming.
6. Searched, and not that I could find, sorry :/
7. Yes, flash a custom Rom and Kernel, there are many to choose from! The ones I use work great and are in my signature. ARHD Rom and TastyMehIcs kernel. It's all up too you though.
In conclusion I think you would be better off using android as the Ubuntu is pretty limited, quickoffice should be fine. Go ahead and optimize it though, and if you have a sbkv1 tablet you can try it out!
ToD
Edit: You could also look into remote desktop to computer to word process, but that would lock you to your 3g wifi speed and be non-native. -shrugs- Splashtop HD is pretty fast on a home n+ wifi network.
Thanks!
Thanks for your response - it changes everything!
"the lack of any android app which allows for footnoting is unforgivable" - Quickoffice seems to support this, although it is $20 -- link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually spent quite a while looking around for android apps with full office functionality. Like quickoffice, I found that numerous apps supported viewing footnotes, but none which actually allowed for their creation.
The only solution I've found for footnote creation via android is google docs desktop view, but it's really barely functional at best on android.
I'd also like to use freeware when possible.
1. A bootable USB stick setup on windows WILL NOT work on the tf, you must use the Android Debug Bridge to install it on the tf. Instructions in link below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I've never actually installed linux on my computer, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it
2. It works, but not like desktop ubuntu, as the ARM processor doesn't support 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit applications. So WINE WILL NOT work, AT ALL.
Read what will and will not work here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think this will be a problem. For what I'll use the tablet for, it seems like I'll have plenty of office, video, and utility applications that run natively on ubuntu.
3. This is heavily dependant on the version of your tablet, older (b60 or lower) devices have sbkv1 and therefore support NVFlash, which means you can always (unless you.. microwaved your tablet or something..) restore a brick. If you have a newer (most b70s and all b80s and up) sbkv2 tablet like mine, it will not work. If you follow instructions carefully when messing with your device though it's pretty hard to COMPLETELY brick it, although all user data can be at risk.
NOTE! If you have a tablet with sbkv2 you Can Not install Ubuntu on it with the installer. I won't say At All, as there is probably a way, but it would be very hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a problem; I've determined the item in the mail is an sbkv2.
This link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1345049 says I can still root the sbkv2. Are there any implications that would prevent me from dual-booting ubuntu?
Otherwise, you've convinced me that clocking would be unnecessary. I really would like to dual-boot ubuntu eventually however for the flexibility (and freeware-ness) of the applications.
For instance, I might download a video clip or pdf, need to unzip it and then find it needs a weird codec to play.
I'm not really a fan of "apps" on mobile devices. I find that they are generally very limiting: they use too much processing power for what they are, they often have an unreasonable price-tag/bloatware, and they are designed for small mobile devices, so the interface lacks functionality.
For example; none of the android office apps support footnote creation. Only some support viewing. Clearly the hardware of the TF101 would allow it to footnote easily, so I feel like I should have the ability to use this hardware to achieve the functionality of a netbook
That said, I'm keen to use the whole android/mobile app interface when I've separated the tablet from the dock and recline to watch youtube or check my emails
Alright, I'll look into it more as to getting Ubuntu on a sbkv2, as I'd want to do it too, but for now, assume no as I've looked into it before and no cigar.. I believe there is a chroot method but that is slow buggy non-native etc so it's probably not what you're looking for. Using desktop view in Dolphin Browser HD is actually about the same as pc browsing, just tested on google docs. Or you could always type out your docs on the tablet then get on a pc/desktop view and add footnotes later. (roundabout, I know x.x)
Rooting the sbkv2 and romming is easy, but sadly Nvflash doesn't work at all till ASUS unlocks the bootloader or someone cracks it.
"I'm not really a fan of "apps" on mobile devices. I find that they are generally very limiting: they use too much processing power for what they are, they often have an unreasonable price-tag/bloatware, and they are designed for small mobile devices, so the interface lacks functionality. "
The way android works helps to manage processing power very well, so you shouldn't be worried about a smooth experience if you root rom and optimize. As for the design most major apps have an HD version specifically for tablets, and many are free (if you can get past ads or use a blocker ) Any other questions/concerns?
Thing O Doom said:
Any other questions/concerns?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point I'm only really trying to figure out whether there is a way to dual-boot ubuntu. I have more reading to do, but my current reading suggests that it's possible - just not sure how accessible the process is to someone like me.
Law here allows us to return an unopened product within 7 days of purchase, so I will have to weigh up whether I can reasonably expect a way to run ubuntu in the future, and whether I should just have fun with android in the meantime.
I'll be happy to keep it if I thought there'd be a way to run ubuntu (or asus releases the key) sometime in the next couple of months. Otherwise I've just spent $400 on something that my current (old, heavy, 1hr battery) laptop does better.
EDIT: Remote desktop isn't a possibility due to my lack of internet.
2ND EDIT: I've made a bit of a mistake: the model no is TF101-1B180A, but as far as I know it is skbv1 (fingers crossed) which means I can use the PRIME installer. I guess I shall find out tomorrow morning!
Thanks again for the help!
What you really need to find out is the serial number - If it's B60 or lower it is sbkv1, if it's B70 it could be either (mine is a b70 but is sbkv2, my friends is a sbkv1, we both got it in best buy on the same day ) The ubuntu help and installer thread in the dev forum can help you if you have sbkv1, I can help walk you through everything if you'd like too. Asus is 'planning' to release the bootloader, which will happen eventually as people continue to pester them, and there is a way I'm sure.
Just an F.Y.I it is possible to install Ubuntu on an SBK2 device followinf the instructions in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1537566
As for the speed of it, it is not great(I did the mount-loop install on the internal storage which is at least faster than installing on an sdcard). I havn't tried overclocking yet to see if that helpls. Also a number of things do not work at all/ need some tweaking to work.
how about tethering from wifi from your phone and using something like splashtop?
I have a TF101G so the internet issue is a bit less troublesome.
That guide you linked seems a bit roundabout, but I'll try it out and if it works TYSM xD Thanks. ^^
It is layed out pretty well in the third post. I used the Dual-boot with loopmounted image option and just followed the instructions in that post. Just make sure you have rooted and installed cwm recovery.
Also I am not sure if the android kernels linked in the post are ics or hc ones, but if you upgrade to ics there are a couple kernels available in the dev section.
Theres an app called ubuntu installer, it isn't native but may work about the same, also testing now.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA
Thing O Doom said:
Theres an app called ubuntu installer, it isn't native but may work about the same, also testing now.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't bother with that, it is far too slow to be useful in my experience.
EDIT: deleted because it sounds negative. Basically I'll need to try to return/sell this if I can't get ubuntu working because android cannot do what I need it to.
As I pointed out previously it doesn't matter if you have an sbkv2 device as far as installing Ubuntu is concerned.
Just follow the instructions here after rooting the device.
It is not perfect though, there are a few bugs and as far as I know no one has got hardware graphical acceleration working yet so you can't watch videos. I think sound isn't working yet either.
Also don't expect the same programs you would find in windows or even linux normally as many programs have yet to be ported to arm based linux.
Nairbly said:
As I pointed out previously it doesn't matter if you have an sbkv2 device as far as installing Ubuntu is concerned.
Just follow the instructions here after rooting the device.
It is not perfect though, there are a few bugs and as far as I know no one has got hardware graphical acceleration working yet so you can't watch videos. I think sound isn't working yet either.
Also don't expect the same programs you would find in windows or even linux normally as many programs have yet to be ported to arm based linux.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the instructions.
I NEED this device to be able to perform full word procesing as a minimum. I also want to be able to have multiple windows open so I can actually see what I'm writing, and I would like to be able to see what I'm typing as I type it instead of a second later. I need to be able to use keyboard shortcuts and select text easily. Lastly, I need to be able to streamline the OS so it can run quickly.
If a TF101 with ubuntu dual-booted is unable to accomplih this, somebody please tell me now.
umfortunately I have:
Chip UIP: 0x42890884140b097
SBkv2
Now looking up instuctions to root SBKv2
Nairbly said:
As I pointed out previously it doesn't matter if you have an sbkv2 device as far as installing Ubuntu is concerned.
Just follow the instructions here after rooting the device.
It is not perfect though, there are a few bugs and as far as I know no one has got hardware graphical acceleration working yet so you can't watch videos. I think sound isn't working yet either.
Also don't expect the same programs you would find in windows or even linux normally as many programs have yet to be ported to arm based linux.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nairby,
You didn't mention how to root an SKBv2. Would you use the Universal root toolkit 7.1 found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1185104 ?
If its on ICS: Vipermod option 1.
If it's on HC, root with the razorclaw tool by downgrading the firmware then flash an ics rom. Very easy and no computer required.
Thing O Doom said:
If it's on HC, root with the razorclaw tool by downgrading the firmware then flash an ics rom. Very easy and no computer required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I receive the message "this device lacks the needed file (bad luck)" after insalling

[Q] Rooting NuBe Needs a Lot of Help

Hello, all:
I am amazed by all that the board's members are doing, but I am also totally confused by all of it. I guess the best place to start is with where I am and where I want to go::fingers-crossed:
I have an ordinary TF-101, Wi-Fi only, with keyboard. I use it almost exclusively when I away from home, usually from 2 - 4 weeks at a time, to access my e-mails (via Wi-Fi). My problem is that on my Windows Desktop I use Thunderbird in Pop mode, downloading everything prior to processing. My problem is T'bird doesn't run in Android. So, I am trying to load a version of Ubuntu onto the tablet so I can run T'bird while away from home.
So, I guess that generates several questions:
1. Has anyone tried this and T'Bird won't run on Ubuntu on the TF-101, no matter what? A no means that's the end of the discussion!
2. If no one has tried this, which version of Ubuntu that can be loaded on the TF-101 is MOST likely to allow me to install and run T'bird?
3. I know that I must first root the TF-101 but there must be a dozen "ways" or "sites" that claim to do it - which would be the best one, from a nube's perspective?
4. As part of this, do I need to update Android (currently 4.0.3) and if so to what?
5. Finally, at least for now, which method for loading the desired version of Ubuntu should I use? Are there any "simple" instruction sets to do this?
Thank all of you for all of your work and in advance for any help that you can give me to help me solve my problem.
Sparky
1. Not me.
2. See #1.
3. I suggest easyflasher
4. No, you can root your stock firmware, whichever it is. Note that it will wipe yoru device (except /sdcard) so back up first.
5. See #1
On a side note, installing Ubuntewww just for Thunderburn is going through a huge hassle to get little benefit. There's plenty of powerful, even better, mobile clients. I use the build-in mail for personal accounts (6 of them) and k-9 mail for business (4 accounts).
Yea I would just find an Android email client to suit your needs
From what I know, there is not a 100% working Ubuntu for the TF101, iirc Hardware Acceleration doesn't work
Unless things have improved since I last checked
If that stock ROM is working fine for you, just hunt the Play Store for another email client to use
Some suggestion
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-excellent-email-apps-for-android-compared/
http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/30/ae-android-email-app/
http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/703251-best-email-client.html
TheArtfulDodger said:
3. I know that I must first root the TF-101 but there must be a dozen "ways" or "sites" that claim to do it - which would be the best one, from a nube's perspective?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do want to root the TF101, Frederuco's Guide to Root and ROM the TF101 at sorry not allowed to post the URL - just google the name.
As a newbie to android and the TF101 I found his guide perfectly clear and easy to follow and was rooted in no time at all.
Good luck
Ziggy
@Theziggy, glad you found my guide helpful. Here is a link to it: http://www.transformerforums.com/fo...t/31927-frederuco-s-guide-root-rom-tf101.html
Also, I have an info thread for KatKiss 4.2.2 and 4.3 for anyone new to those ROMs:
http://www.transformerforums.com/fo...ormerly-teameos-4-android-4-2-x-tf101-12.html
http://www.transformerforums.com/fo...f101-roms/38407-rom-jb-4-3-katkiss-tf101.html

.

It seems that contributing to LOS building ROM is not anymore tolerated, this post is deleted.
Maybe @Scavenger87 wants to take a look here ;-)
I guess it's better to have an own dedicated thread.
Thanks for setting up a distinct thread. Things were getting confusing!
john_matrix said:
Maybe @Scavenger87 wants to take a look here ;-)
I guess it's better to have an own dedicated thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey John great idea with opening a new Thread because i also think its really confusing already
john_matrix said:
@Scavenger87: Steel01 advised to let 15.1 (I think he is right because it's too old and because lot of changes have been done between 15.1-16.0)
Also have found this during LOS 16.0 debugging and when application is crashing:
Starting from Android 9, LMK can be implemented in userspace and needs new optimization settings:
Low Memory Killer Daemon | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com
Will see if this new userspace LMKD can be tuned.
@Trevor_g: can't say... I don't have an Nvidia controller to test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok yeah i think he's right for multiple reasons
- 15.1 had still unsolved issues aside of broken omx like the crashing nv games app and not working screen mirroring which is working so far on 16.0
- 16.0 is Android 9.0 based which is the same as the actual Software for the Shield TV. That means there is maybe a chance they can use some Codes or even Apps like the Shield Accessories to makes things like the First Controller working again over WIFI.
I even found a lot Nvidia OEM Apps here on APK Mirror : https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/nvidia/
I think i start testing around with those apks as soon i installed the lasted 16.0 build
@Trevor_g
For your question i have to check that again on 16.0 with the old Controller but i think its still only working over a OTG Adapter.
Like i mentioned above maybe the Shield TV Accessories App is working.
mirhl said:
https://gist.github.com/webgeek1234/8ef1bd105d2add3aa9c29028c2befbb0
https://github.com/vartom/drivers-kernel-nvidia-49/tree/smaug49/drivers/hid
https://github.com/devmapal/nvidia-shield-controller-driver
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone even mentioned this Linux Driver for the Controller
But to be honest dont suspect too much on lets say all this bonus functions because first the LOS Team have to work on the base build to make it stable and running right
Ok i installed the latest build (4/1/21) yesterday on my LTE Tablet over sideload because i had no extra SD Card to format it to FAT32 and with the new TWRP 3.5-9.0.
I installed also the Pico Gapps and then TWRP said when i was about to Restart that there's now OS installed.
But thats seems to be a bug with TWRP itself because after the restart there was the LineageOS screen waiting for me and after a freeze for about a minute or two i was able to complete my installation.
After this i now can say its the most stable LOS 9.0 Rom so far !
It has very less apps crashing so far i only had to start them twice sometimes and also the hw acceleration working now most of its time at Chrome and on the Youtube App.
I can really see there has going again a lot of work into this Rom and its really a pleasure now to see how it get more stable everytime.
Big thanks to @Steel01, @npjohnson, the whole LineageOS Team and of course to @john_matrix
Btw @john_matrix did you change anything on the partitions you mentioned earlier on this build ?
@Trevor_g
I did a short test yesterday with the controller and as suspected it doesnt recognize by the tablet. I soon test out those Android 9.0 based Accessories App from the Shield TV
Thank you for the rom
Can I just flash this over Lineage 14.1 or do I need a factory wipe?
Did anybody test gamepass streaming yet?
danielandross said:
Thank you for the rom
Can I just flash this over Lineage 14.1 or do I need a factory wipe?
Did anybody test gamepass streaming yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you have to wipe the device first in TWRP to install this rom.
Maybe a little general guide for everyone here who want to try this build in this early state and help tracking bugs
For an clean Installation its important to wipe the device first with TWRP like shown on the first Screenshot.
After this go to Advanced and choose everything choosen on the second Screenshot.
Now you shutdown the Tablet and insert the SD Card or plug in the cable for sideloading.
After turning on the Tablet and choose Recovery Mode again, first install the Rom of course then choose Wipe cache/dalvik.
Now you have to install Gapps if you want to use it. Its recommend to use only the Pico Package.
Wipe cache/dalvik again and restart the device.
If you use Sideload it might says in the Shutdown Menu :
No OS installed !
Which is a bug in my opinion of the new TWRP 3.5-9.0 Package but please use this Version of TWRP in any case that the basement of the installation is everywhere the same !
This is IMHO the way to install a Rom in a clean way and helps tracking down bugs better when everyone used the same methodes.
@john_matrix
I installed the Rom today on a K1 16GB with the methode i described above and did it with my regular SDCard i use in all my Tablets. In comparsion to installing over sideload it didnt get the No OS installed! message at TWRP and i didnt had that 1 minute freeze at begin of the install-wizzard after the LOS Logo.
Also the Rom seems to be same stable as the one on the 32GB model.
But i have to test it a bit more side by side to make valid statements
Also Nvidia Games working nice as you can see on the Screenshots
Hi guys, so, long story short i got scammed on a dutch advertising portal and ended up with one of them shield tablets which were recalled a few years ago. Yep, those with the defective battery that may burst in flame one day
Anyways, i figured that since it hasnt happened until now, i might just be lucky and give it a shot.
Its great to see that there is still some active development of this device! flashed this rom and i gotta say im positively surprised. Its running nice and smooth and even though it crashed on me a few times after the first boot, but a few reboots later and its running like a charm! i didnt bother with gapps, root or anything yet though. really great job devs!
Scavenger87 said:
I installed the Rom today on a K1 16GB with the methode i described above and did it with my regular SDCard i use in all my Tablets. In comparsion to installing over sideload it didnt get the No OS installed! message at TWRP and i didnt had that 1 minute freeze at begin of the install-wizzard after the LOS Logo.
Also the Rom seems to be same stable as the one on the 32GB model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My tablet was completely wiped with no OS so I just pushed the ROM, pico gapps, and magisk over USB onto internal storage with MTP/TWRP. Flashed it all from there and it worked fine. No issues or errors. I don't think it's at all necessary to sideload to use an external SD.
Jackill said:
Hi guys, so, long story short i got scammed on a dutch advertising portal and ended up with one of them shield tablets which were recalled a few years ago. Yep, those with the defective battery that may burst in flame one day
Anyways, i figured that since it hasnt happened until now, i might just be lucky and give it a shot.
Its great to see that there is still some active development of this device! flashed this rom and i gotta say im positively surprised. Its running nice and smooth and even though it crashed on me a few times after the first boot, but a few reboots later and its running like a charm! i didnt bother with gapps, root or anything yet though. really great job devs!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In this Thread beginning from here i share my informations so far about the two type of batteries and changing them out if you interested:
Finding Replacement Battery in 2017?
Anybody know where to find a battery that will fit in the Shield Tablet? I know there are several threads online (here on xda, on GeForce forums, and other places) that discuss replacing the shield tablet battery and a few different part numbers...
forum.xda-developers.com
airtower said:
My tablet was completely wiped with no OS so I just pushed the ROM, pico gapps, and magisk over USB onto internal storage with MTP/TWRP. Flashed it all from there and it worked fine. No issues or errors. I don't think it's at all necessary to sideload to use an external SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did these two type installation because @john_matrix mentioned to use a SD Card which is formated with FAT32 instead of exFAT. I didnt had one lying around so i used sideload this time.
Thank you everyone and Scavenger87 for your feedback! ;-)
About stability, I guess the culprit is the fact I have played with the new userspace LMK but for me it's not stable enough to be used as daily.
For example, Youtube often continue to play videos greeny and blocky and this is annoying
I will try to fine tune the best settings for LMK.
About battery, I have changed mine too with this one:
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/32807531204.html
It works good but require to use the board of the original battery.
Seems to be going well so far for me, battery life seems good and for the general use I have had time to do it's worked well.
One crash that caused a reboot, after testing the hdmi output the tablet rebooted when I unplugged the hdmi cable from the tablet.
john_matrix said:
Thank you everyone and Scavenger87 for your feedback! ;-)
About stability, I guess the culprit is the fact I have played with the new userspace LMK but for me it's not stable enough to be used as daily.
For example, Youtube often continue to play videos greeny and blocky and this is annoying
I will try to fine tune the best settings for LMK.
About battery, I have changed mine too with this one:
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/32807531204.html
It works good but require to use the board of the original battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok that means there is still some kind of memory leak problem with our tablets or is the memory managment on android 9 and higher not really suited for our low ram devices ?
I also read something about drawbacks with the in-kernel LMK as you can see here :
Drawbacks of in-kernel LMK driver
Android deprecates the LMK driver due to a number of issues, including:
Low-RAM devices had to be tuned aggressively, and even then would perform poorly on workloads with large file-backed active pagecache. The poor performance resulted in thrashing and no kills.
The LMK kernel driver relied on free-memory limits, with no scaling based on the memory pressure.
Because of the rigidity of the design, partners often customized the driver so that it would work on their devices.
The LMK driver hooked into the slab shrinker API, which wasn't designed for heavy operations such as searching for targets and killing them, which slowed down the vmscan process.
Is the zRam function now activated by standart on Android 9 and higher to compress amount memory is needed ?
I try to stresstest it today with a website that have a lot pictures sadly i cant use instagram anymore because you need a account now
Shield Tablet can't be considered as a "low ram device" as Google defined them with up to 512MB (Android Go?)
Android Performance Optimization | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com
I also have devices with 2GB that are currently performing Lineage 17.1 very well (Sony Z3C and Nexus 4)
I don't know if zRAM is activated by default in Android but you still have the choice to activate it or no (in the kernel or in the fstab.
Additionnally, I don't know what is the policy to activate zRAM (my Mi9 have 6GB RAM and have zRAM activated by Xiaomi so...)
Another thing about zRAM is there are lot and lot of options you can activate such as compression, lz4, clear caching, etc... depending of your needs and I am not skilled enough to say exactly what will be the consequences of these options (but it cost nothing to try).
You also have to keep in mind that zRAM will consume more CPU times (as KSM).
Similarly, you can fine tune the CPU governor and IO scheduling (often I see CFQ by default but on the other way I have saw that Noop and Deadline gives best results).
Feel free to share your experience and if you have other ideas on what you would like to integrate in this ROM (as the best possible).
You are right to stress test the OS, you can also debug the memory and the weight attributed on the processes.
Ok but 2GB is really not much these day also this article from android source is really old i think i read there something about kitkat or so
But your right i also was suprised to see that my xperia z3 compact i have lying around is able to run lineageos 17.1 and even is supported by the LOS Team
Which leads me to the question is the memory managment on the Qualcomm SOC so much better ? Ok the Ram there is on the SOC itself instead of external like on our Tegra based devices.
I think i install tonight Triodexes 15.1 with zram to compare the effect it has.
I also noticed the hw acceleration crashes the most on the firefox browser like i told in the 15.1 Thread you can start one video and it runs if you leave everything untouched but your not able to start a second one even with autoplay.
Btw about the LMK i know its maybe a dumb question but did you try the original settings from the Oem Rom ?
Edit : The original values in minfree are: 18432,23040,27648,32256,36864,46080
And zRam is already activated on the LOS 16.0 Build with 511MB same like the oem rom
Scavenger87 said:
I did a short test yesterday with the controller and as suspected it doesnt recognize by the tablet. I soon test out those Android 9.0 based Accessories App from the Shield TV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks SO much for looking into this for me! You mentioned later that the controller wasn't recognized by the tablet, however I'm also curious if the Accessories app from the ShieldTV might help. Thanks again, in advance!
Fwiw, there's a bunch of framework patches needed for the wifi direct controller to work. I've yet to get them all straight. Haven't had that working since cm-12.1. See the incomplete set for 16.0 here:
https://review.lineageos.org/q/topic:shield-blake-p
That's on top of:
https://review.lineageos.org/q/topic:nvidia-shieldtech-p
And there's no nvidia pairing app that works with a touch interface. It's a mess atm. I did get blake to pair to foster on 15.1, but only while the pairing wizard was open. As soon as I hit back to close it, the autonomous group goes down and the connection is lost. And now, it's close to impossible since nvidia didn't release the nvwifi prebuilt jar to link against. And the one from O doesn't work on P.
Hi @Steel01
Thank you for keeping us updated on your work with the controller and also for your work for this device in general
I already tought its not easy to bring wifi support back for the old controller but i think also there is no high priority since the second gen is working fine over bluetooth and they already cheap to buy used.
Other than this the rom is suprisingly good running for this early stage and most of the stuff is working
Is there something that needs special attention for testing at the moment to help you developing ?
Like i mentioned in a other Thread i have every generation of the Shield Tablet and Controller. Only on my LTE Modell the SIM Card Reader is unfixable broken
But i still hunting for a fully working device.
Before I flash this Rom: Why do I habe to wipe internal storage?
danielandross said:
Before I flash this Rom: Why do I habe to wipe internal storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i dont know if its really needed to wipe the internal storage but i think by the reason we testing here a new Rom in a really early stage we should give it the cleanest basement as possible to exclude problems that might caused by left over data that interference with the Rom

NO MORE SLOW.

For the few who remain using these tablets (and the even fewer who bought a 2015 shield controller like me) I have the final nail in the coffin for performance. Without custom OS. Allowing you to use your very specific (criminally underused) 2015 Shield controller wirelessly. Welcome to the end of your woes (performance not guaranteed, this crap worked for me though). I still haven't checked if battery usage has improved, but it has certainly let me depend on this and use my controller again as opposed to using a CustomOS (previously used AEX 6.7, good performance, but bad video playback and lack of wifi controller support).
Required thingys:
TWRP
This awesome script (JournalingDisabler.zip) (thnx very much skynet28): https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...urnaling-in-internal-ext4-partitions.1252028/
Developer Options
Snacks? Drinks? This is gonna take some time, don't pass out halfway through lol
Boost 1: DISABLE JOURNALING.
Y'all. This is the good stuff. the nitro. This will make your tablet feel new (again, if everything goes right and I'm not some insane fluke). I only got the idea from an offhand comment from m0nt3s. I thought they were talking about one of the writing apps at first, but once I learned what it was, my brain imploded. Did a quick google search, and found skynet28's solution right away. It's a script designed to disable an ext4 logging service that eats up memory and processing power. I didn't think it would be compatible (but my chaotic neutral mind said why not), but it works:
1. Install TWRP using adb and prayer (that's what it feels like the first time around lol)
2. Download the zip (JournalingDisabler.zip) to your tablet.
3. Use the install button in TWRP, navigate to the zip, and install away.
It should show text saying journaling is disabled if all went well. The gains should be immediately noticeable on your next boot. I didn't notice any issues or side effects, but I also have the benefit of not having important/sensitive data on it, so just to play it safe, back up your data in case issues crop up later.
Boost 2: BACKGROUND PROCESSES
This one will be a touch more noticeable, especially if you multitask on this tablet, but it can definitely stop a lot of the hitching. This one will be in the bottom of the developer options. If you don't have dev options, go into the about tablet section and tap the build number until you become a dev. Setting it to 1 or 2 is decent, but setting it to none will have the biggest impact.
Boost 3: DON'T USE APP OPTIMIZATION
Seriously. Don't know who dropped the ball. But just turn it all off. It's not even a boost, it's just a negative having it on.
Boost 4: SYNCING
If anything is syncing, be it Gmail, your YouTube notifications, or a news feed, turn it off. Any time apps struggle and fight for WIFI, your experience sucks. If you aren't using it as a main (i'm using it in my car as a head unit)
Boost 5: Color Correction
Must have been the same peeps who dropped the ball on app optimization. With the gains you get above, you might not need to, but if you're trying to max it out this will do it.
That's it for me! This is what I've done to get my tablet feeling smooth again. Let me know how it goes?
I can attest that a lot of the above is what needs to be done to save the last days of this tablet. I did not now about the journal part- will have to try this. Related, I just flashed the original OTA's for the Wifi edition on my Shield LTE. By doing this I got a insane boost in battery life. The LTE (H+) does not work but I don't need it and there are other devices that have much better connectivity .
BLKMN said:
For the few who remain using these tablets (and the even fewer who bought a 2015 shield controller like me) I have the final nail in the coffin for performance. Without custom OS. Allowing you to use your very specific (criminally underused) 2015 Shield controller wirelessly. Welcome to the end of your woes (performance not guaranteed, this crap worked for me though). I still haven't checked if battery usage has improved, but it has certainly let me depend on this and use my controller again as opposed to using a CustomOS (previously used AEX 6.7, good performance, but bad video playback and lack of wifi controller support).
Required thingys:
TWRP
This awesome script (JournalingDisabler.zip) (thnx very much skynet28): https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...urnaling-in-internal-ext4-partitions.1252028/
Developer Options
Snacks? Drinks? This is gonna take some time, don't pass out halfway through lol
Boost 1: DISABLE JOURNALING.
Y'all. This is the good stuff. the nitro. This will make your tablet feel new (again, if everything goes right and I'm not some insane fluke). I only got the idea from an offhand comment from m0nt3s. I thought they were talking about one of the writing apps at first, but once I learned what it was, my brain imploded. Did a quick google search, and found skynet28's solution right away. It's a script designed to disable an ext4 logging service that eats up memory and processing power. I didn't think it would be compatible (but my chaotic neutral mind said why not), but it works:
1. Install TWRP using adb and prayer (that's what it feels like the first time around lol)
2. Download the zip (JournalingDisabler.zip) to your tablet.
3. Use the install button in TWRP, navigate to the zip, and install away.
It should show text saying journaling is disabled if all went well. The gains should be immediately noticeable on your next boot. I didn't notice any issues or side effects, but I also have the benefit of not having important/sensitive data on it, so just to play it safe, back up your data in case issues crop up later.
Boost 2: BACKGROUND PROCESSES
This one will be a touch more noticeable, especially if you multitask on this tablet, but it can definitely stop a lot of the hitching. This one will be in the bottom of the developer options. If you don't have dev options, go into the about tablet section and tap the build number until you become a dev. Setting it to 1 or 2 is decent, but setting it to none will have the biggest impact.
Boost 3: DON'T USE APP OPTIMIZATION
Seriously. Don't know who dropped the ball. But just turn it all off. It's not even a boost, it's just a negative having it on.
Boost 4: SYNCING
If anything is syncing, be it Gmail, your YouTube notifications, or a news feed, turn it off. Any time apps struggle and fight for WIFI, your experience sucks. If you aren't using it as a main (i'm using it in my car as a head unit)
Boost 5: Color Correction
Must have been the same peeps who dropped the ball on app optimization. With the gains you get above, you might not need to, but if you're trying to max it out this will do it.
That's it for me! This is what I've done to get my tablet feeling smooth again. Let me know how it goes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works! Every bit of OP is legit.
I used current TWRP as of today, twrp-3.6.1_9-0-shieldtablet.img, from https://twrp.me/nvidia/nvidiahshieldtablet.html using fastboot install method on a fully updated Android 7 Nvidia Shield Tablet model p1761w.
Thanks, much respect!
It is important that those who still do not install TWRP should know that to enter fastboot, they must use the official nvidia drivers "SHIELD_Family_WHQL_USB_driver_201801"
This method helped me to lighten but it becomes impossible to install applications, the google services together with those of nvidia cause the ram to collapse and the system cannot manage correctly.
I strongly recommend you to change to a custom rom, you will finally feel the fluidity of the system
At this moment I use lineage 15.1 (android 8.1) + google services minimum (pico)
No chrome app - no Gmail app + facebook and instagram full app. and the system remains light.
nunitofiman said:
It is important that those who still do not install TWRP should know that to enter fastboot, they must use the official nvidia drivers "SHIELD_Family_WHQL_USB_driver_201801"
This method helped me to lighten but it becomes impossible to install applications, the google services together with those of nvidia cause the ram to collapse and the system cannot manage correctly.
I strongly recommend you to change to a custom rom, you will finally feel the fluidity of the system
At this moment I use lineage 15.1 (android 8.1) + google services minimum (pico)
No chrome app - no Gmail app + facebook and instagram full app. and the system remains light.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really wish a developer(s) would take one more look at this device. If there was way to bump up the android version but retain the NVIDIA features it would breath a few more years into these . These tablets are still pretty good for mid range emulation and now that everything has changed with cloud gaming, they are not as irrelevant as it would seem . I've been having pretty good performance on my LTE 32GB that I flashed the original "WiFi edition " stock ROM on. I get great battery life now and use the tablet almost daily for gaming and light use. The sound is also still pretty impressive and I like the stylus functionality as I can't really afford a Samsung device.
What is "journaling"? Is it the same as the logging by logcat? You can set the buffer size to 0K or 64K (setting it to 0 still logs at 64K).

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