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[Q] Interfacing manually with internal MMC / internal moviNAND issue

Two SGS Captivates. The internal MMC (moviNAND, 16Gb) of one works, while the other doesn't.
On the defective unit, the MMC continuously responds to CMD1 (SEND_OP_COND) with the busy flag -- ie: never finishing internal initialization.
Boot logs between units shows no discernible difference (debugging enabled).
Changing kernel/bootloader/rom shows no difference. MMC never finishes internal initialization.
Questions:
1. Is there a way to manually interface with the MMC and send it commands from user mode, outside of the kernel?
2. What might cause the internal MMC to never finish its internal initialization?
3. What possible causing files/registers survive a kernel/bootloader/rom change, and can they be read/modified from user mode?
Any input is appreciated.
Thanks!
PS: Do not suggest re-partitioning, factory reset, or microwave .

Captivate uses OneNAND, not eMMC or MoviNAND.
Have you tried my i897 KB2 Heimdall One-Click with bootloader flashing enabled?
http://files.teamkomin.com/files.php?dir=Captivate/

AdamOutler said:
Captivate uses OneNAND, not eMMC or MoviNAND.
Have you tried my i897 KB2 Heimdall One-Click with bootloader flashing enabled?
http://files.teamkomin.com/files.php?dir=Captivate/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there.
Yes, the "dysfunctional" phone is able to boot into the OS (OneNAND is fine), but its MoviNAND (internal eMMC/SD, 16Gb) stays silent/dead.
Yes, countless kernels/partition files/bootloaders/roms were tried.
The issue is that the the eMMC will never finish its internal initialization and always responds to CMD1 with the "busy flag" set, making further data requests impossible.
EDIT: I see that the SBL has something called "mmctest". How can one trigger/launch/interface with it?

Although many of the SGS 1 variants used a oneNAND of either 1GB or 512MB to house firmware information, I have found that portions of the internal storage have been segmented for CSC scripts and other various tasks the device will use. I'm working with a few developers for more access the to the EMMC zones via JTAG to determine if all of these "partition bricked" devices are actually gone for good as they have been claimed in the past and up until this point, or possibly resurrectable by overwriting valid EMMC info into the corrupt zones. The team and I already have access to full EMMC chip infrastructure on newer Galaxy S II devices and things like the Galaxy Player 5 but I'm pushing them to develop more for older devices with these problems as well for useful data recovery tactics on devices that may be not boot, but still allow access via JTAG. This would allow me to back up any part of the chip (pictures, music and videos or anything else) for advanced data recovery in scenarios when an onboard USB controller is bad, display module is bad or their is a PMIC issue.
Time will tell if this is a fixable issue but good luck to you if you can figure out a way to run a script to clean up corrupt EMMC zones!

raz123 said:
Questions:
1. Is there a way to manually interface with the MMC and send it commands from user mode, outside of the kernel?
2. What might cause the internal MMC to never finish its internal initialization?
3. What possible causing files/registers survive a kernel/bootloader/rom change, and can they be read/modified from user mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. SBL commandline accessible through UART. Or modified SDHCI driver inside of kernel (you can find drivers in /drivers/mmc/ /arch/arm/plat-samsung /arch/arm/plat-s5p /arch/arm/s5pv210) AFAIR, you can also build kernel with enhanced MMC debugging (MMC_DEBUG / DEBUG_MMC define in config file, also some additional debug macros inside of drivers).
2. HW damage like broken soldering or damaged moviNAND chip.
3. I'm pretty certain that none.

This seems relate to my Tmobile Vibrant problem. In the recovery mode it report moviNand open fail then moviNand checksum confirmation fail
The Vibrant now has 0 internal storage space. The format command or even the *2767*3855# command have no effect. I'm running 2.2 now flash via ODIN with no internal space.

MBR Down A31S

hello i got a Q102 A31S tablet,
i flashed a wrong CWM .
i try to re flash it with firmwares for this model . i got 3 differents firmwares :
from livesuit all say " image file invalid"
from phoenixsuite " error 0x162 mbr down"
with phoenixcard, i can make a bootable microsd as "product" : the tablet boot with a red rectangle progress bar,
and stuck here,no progress, even if i wait 2 hours.
if i burn card as "startup" its boot from extsd and work,but with no intsd card mounted, 2go internal storage instead of 16go,
and apps/browser cant save downloaded content " no sdcard mounted"
i tried with FElix-master from github (windows version)
if i try to flash image or rewrite mbr with the command "ruby felix --mbr sunxi_mbr.fex"
i got a error , 'cant write new partition'
so i just wonder if the cause is the wrong CWM , or if my tablet is just dead ?
what can i do if programs cant rewrite partition ?
thanks if someone can give me any hint for a solution .

[Q] MTK (Mediatek) Repartitioning 101 gone wrong

Hello guys, for the previous year I would say, I have read about repartitioning MTK phones, starting with my old Cubot MTK6572 (Rest In Peace) to my current Doogee MTK6582.
I have tried countless times to repartition using the EBRTweak utility, or changing the EBR1 & EBR2 files myself but it never, ever works.. I always manage to get in the first initial boot and have a false victory where I see that I have re partitioned successfully, but after I reboot after, I always get a boot loop after that initial boot.
For editing the EBR files, I have tried:
-Using EBRTweak
-Editing myself by changing the values from scratch by making calculations with sectors, bytes and addresses
-Editing myself by
First adding a value in the /data partition length, adding that value
Second adding that same value to the start address of the FAT partition
Third removing that same value to the length of the FAT partition
For flashing the EBR files, I have tried:
-Flashing all the patitions with SP flash tools with the new EBR files (without changing the Scatter file)
-Flashing all the patitions with SP flash tools with the new EBR files (changing the Scatter file)
-Flashing only the EBR partitionsa on a working ROM
-Flashing the EBR files using an updater-script via a custom recovery
With each of these methods, all my calculations were exact when I verified everything (to the byte), including using "disktype" command in Linux.
So after one year of failure, I finally decided to post on XDA to ask for help... please, please, does anyone know why the first boot works but the second boot always ends up in a boot loop? :silly:

I emailed Doogee engineers and they told me that u cant re-partition it
NaturalBornCamper said:
Hello guys, for the previous year I would say, I have read about repartitioning MTK phones, starting with my old Cubot MTK6572 (Rest In Peace) to my current Doogee MTK6582.
I have tried countless times to repartition using the EBRTweak utility, or changing the EBR1 & EBR2 files myself but it never, ever works.. I always manage to get in the first initial boot and have a false victory where I see that I have re partitioned successfully, but after I reboot after, I always get a boot loop after that initial boot.
For editing the EBR files, I have tried:
-Using EBRTweak
-Editing myself by changing the values from scratch by making calculations with sectors, bytes and addresses
-Editing myself by
First adding a value in the /data partition length, adding that value
Second adding that same value to the start address of the FAT partition
Third removing that same value to the length of the FAT partition
For flashing the EBR files, I have tried:
-Flashing all the patitions with SP flash tools with the new EBR files (without changing the Scatter file)
-Flashing all the patitions with SP flash tools with the new EBR files (changing the Scatter file)
-Flashing only the EBR partitionsa on a working ROM
-Flashing the EBR files using an updater-script via a custom recovery
With each of these methods, all my calculations were exact when I verified everything (to the byte), including using "disktype" command in Linux.
So after one year of failure, I finally decided to post on XDA to ask for help... please, please, does anyone know why the first boot works but the second boot always ends up in a boot loop? :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know whats the purpose of the repartition...

bestmedever said:
I dont know whats the purpose of the repartition...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some phones (Notably the Mediatek "MTK" phones) are known to have a very small internal storage for your applications.
This is because the storage usually attributed to applications 6GB on the MTK6582 is split in two parts:
1- 1.3gb for applications
2- 4.7gb for an internal sd-card to put music and movies
But nobody uses internal sd-card much, because we all have external sd cards of 32gb or more. This means that you have a 4.7GB that is completely unused and an internal storage for applications of 1.3gb that gets full as soon as you install a few applications like Facebook, Youtube (that use a LOT of space nowadays), or update your system apps.
All this is completely ridiculous so a few people and I are trying to make repartition and have more space for application, while getting rid of that useless "internal sd-card"

exactly
NaturalBornCamper said:
Some phones (Notably the Mediatek "MTK" phones) are known to have a very small internal storage for your applications.
This is because the storage usually attributed to applications 6GB on the MTK6582 is split in two parts:
1- 1.3gb for applications
2- 4.7gb for an internal sd-card to put music and movies
But nobody uses internal sd-card much, because we all have external sd cards of 32gb or more. This means that you have a 4.7GB that is completely unused and an internal storage for applications of 1.3gb that gets full as soon as you install a few applications like Facebook, Youtube (that use a LOT of space nowadays), or update your system apps.
All this is completely ridiculous so a few people and I are trying to make repartition and have more space for application, while getting rid of that useless "internal sd-card"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah that's what I'm saying, I talked with MTK engineers but they just replay with "if you re-partition your phone, it will brick" over and over, I told them to just give me a solution, like changing EBR files or something, and I know how to unbrick MTK phones, but they didn't care at all, the problem is: why they just put all the storage as an internal storage instead of phone storage and internal storage, it's pathetic to put phone storage and SD card storage at same time...

WOW! You actually managed to talk to them? That is awesome, we could have a lead here, don't let that go, friend!
I'm happy that you agree with me however and all the thousands of people with the same problem. Maybe if you tell them that you don't care about bricking your phone and the warranty, that you just like to play around and you have a backup phone anyways (to convince them to answer).
You could tell them that the repartitioning works on the first initial boot, but ends up in a boot loop after you reboot a second time. If they don't want to tell us how to fix it, they could at least tell us why this is happening so we could research on the subject.
Thanks for your help, I'll hit "thanks" on your post!

"Damaged Phone storage" notification - How to repair it?

I have got notification on my mobile "Damaged Phone storage". The problem is the internal storage, which can not be physicaly repleced with other one.
After connecting the mobile to PC everything is working. There are all files on the card, it is possible to copie new files on it, an from it, etc. The problem with the storage is only on Android. Of course I tried to format it on adroid.
I try to solve this problem the whole week, and have no more idea how to do this
I made all possible action form Recovery. I tried to change the vold.fstab file in system, which is not possible 4.4.2
I flashed the mobile via SP Flash Tool several time, and it still does not work. Unfortunately I have not the oryginal ROM, only the backup from my mobile. My mobile is Chinese Alps A9+ built on MTK 6582. I even tried to change the primary partition from this topis: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2455850 , but no matter how big the size of storage is, on PC it is working on Adroid it does not.
So, have you the Custom ROM for Alps A9+ (MTK6582) - (The only one i can find on the internet does not work "A-9+_141014_backup_150326-103833")
or maybe you know the other proceder how to fix it

I tried to flash new rom, but they still do not work properly. Each time was end up with the same notification "Damaged SD Card" or "Damage Phone storage"
I made Memory Test via SP Flash Tool and the Test has finished with two errors:
NAND Flash wos not detected!
and
UFS was not detected!
What exactly do they mean?

Re-partition size of MTK Device boot/recovery/system block

I got this Tecno Phone (M9) series MTK6598 version. My recovery size was limited to 6MB due to partition size of 6.2MB block on the chip.
I think re-partitioning (just like re-partitioning FAT/USERDATA trick to increase internal space with solve the whole issue).
My search led to a tutorial online HERE
I followed the steps. My device was re-partitioned:
boot from 6M to 16MB
recovery from 6M to 16MB
system from 838MB to 1.2GB
Userdata from 1GB to 9GB
MTKdriod shows my new block map as shown in the attached.
I re-installed my OS, everything work fine, but I can not get TWRP above 6.1MB installed.
The only issue I got at the moment is get custom recovery above initial partition size to work.
I don't know if there is anything to do to made this work.