Android OS 9.0, Linux, Windows Triple Boot Solved

Android OS 9.0, Linux, Windows Triple Boot Solved - General Questions and Answers

Figured it out. It was a process. Will leave out my errordoing. Only weird thing is that I have to press enter twice on Bliss OS in grub2.
Not liable for you goofing anything
Need USB prolly another computer with Rufus or etcher would be easier.
Boot to bios/uefi turn off secure boot, put an ! In front of "other hdd" at bottom of boot order to make it active(not sure if necessary), change boot order or when you use USB boot directly to boot options. I changed from legacy/uefi mode to uefi only with no csm.
Windows 10 first then with disk management create unallocated space for Linux Mint. With usb installer click something else I then created partitions for root, swap, and rest of free space as home. Look up regular dualboot tutorial for exacts for your distro or use an auto install feature and hope it works.
Create ntfs or ext4 partition whichever easier will format again in sec, load bliss os installer click installation format to ext4. I said No to installing grub 2 over old grub due to issues with grub. Install it as read write sucessfully, then boot to linux.
Go to xda bliss os pie post instructions for custom install the part where it listed the menuentry for AndroidOS for ext4 no bugs copy it. Just need to change out a couple things. Make new entry for bliss with grub customizer name it same as menuentry in code. The four places where it says AndroidOS exchange for name of your new android build/folder where your initrd/ kernel is stored. My folder/build name was bliss-x86-11.7. found inside storage device android-x86 in nemo file manager but double check for your build. Only other change is "system.sfs" needs to be changed to "system.img".
It took me a little more work then usual to get these setup together 99% properly. But I think I'll stick with these three for awhile. Let me know if you fix the having to choose bliss twice in grub.

Related

[Q&A] Ubuntu on the Transformer (eMMC install)

This thread is for help and support related to ubuntu on the eeepad transformer, all questions not related to development should be asked here, please be friendly and do not flame each other or I will request the thread be closed.
Download links are in the third post.
There is a wiki entry here that has a bit more detailed explanation. Please note though that as it is a wiki information
quoted in there may or may not be entirely accurite.
you will need to download an nvflashable rom, like prime.
Please read the README before attempting this. The readme is below as well as in the kit, YOU WILL LOSE DATA.
Download links are in the second post.
OLiFE for the ASUS transformer
------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) 2011 Steven Barker <[email protected]>
This package should have only been linked to from xda-developers
or rootzwiki if you got the links to this package from anywhere
but those sites please send an email to the above email
address with the subject: "unauthorised posts"
DISCLAIMER
------------------------------------------------------------------
Steven Barker (lilstevie) nor anybody will take any responsibility
for any damage, data loss, fire, death of a loved one, or loss of
data resulting from using this mod for your device. Using this mod
may void your warranty.
NVFLASH
------------------------------------------------------------------
nvflash is the intellectual property of nvidia, and remains the
property of nvidia. Any questions or queries regarding the usage
and licence of nvflash should be directed to nvidia.
abootimg
------------------------------------------------------------------
abootimg is by Gilles Grandou <[email protected]> and is
unmodified. The source is available from online at
http://gitorious.org/ac100/abootimg
usage
------------------------------------------------------------------
Usage has changed since the release of the last kit, please read
these instructions carefully, as the install method is a little
more complex, (but easier once you use it).
If you downloaded OLiFE.tar.gz you will need to inject the android
rom and ubuntu image. You can use any nvflashable rom with this.
I recommend that you use prime as that is the configuration that
I have tested myself, and the ROM that I support for use with this
device. You can download the ubuntu image from
http://lilstevie.geek.nz/ports/ubuntu.img.gz.
If you downloaded OLiFE-Prime-Edition.tar.gz you will not need to
download the ubuntu image or an nvflash rom as they are seeded into
the image.
Install instructions:
1) Download the specific flavour of OLiFE that you want to use, and
extract it with "tar xvf <filename>".
2) If needed inject android rom and ubuntu image.
3) From the directory that OLiFE was extracted in run the main script
with the command ./OLiFE.sh.
4) Read the text that comes up and answer the question it asks.
5) Follow the menu to the option you want (below is a breakdown of
what each menu item is) and follow the instructions prompted. (also below
is instructions on how to get into the modes requested).
Menu items:
1) Backup Menu:
1) Full Backup (stock)
- Full backup (stock) takes a full backup of a stock
android system. This gives you an option to also back
up your user data(this will take a while).
2) Full Backup (ubuntu)
- Full backup (ubuntu) takes a full backup of a system
that dualboots android and ubuntu, this backs up your
system, and the ubuntu image. This gives you an option
to also back up your user data(this will take a while).
3) User data only
- This backs up the user data partition on your device.
(This option takes a while)
4) Android ROM
- This option backs up the android system only. This
option generates all the files (minus bootloader, and BCT)
required to flash a rom via nvflash.
5) Ubuntu Install
- This option backs up the ubuntu install on your device.
2) Flash Device:
1) Dualboot:
- This option will install ubuntu to your device in a
dualbooting configuration with android. During the
installation process it asks you which OS you would like
to boot by default.
2) uboot (linux only):
- This option will install ubuntu with u-boot and the
ChromeOS kernel that supports acceleration. This option
is currently unavailable, but should be available soon.
3) asus boot (linux only):
- This option will install ubuntu with the asus bootloader
with this configuration you will use all the eMMC for ubuntu
and there will be no android system installed on your device.
4) stock:
- This option will partition the device in a stock way and
install the android system that is in ./images. Use this
option if you no longer want ubuntu on your device.
3) Update Device:
1) Android Kernel:
- This option will update the android kernel on your device
with the boot.img from ./images/. This allows you to install
your own kernel on the device for android rather than the one
that comes with your chosen rom.
2) Ubuntu/Linux Kernel:
- This will update the ubuntu kernel on your device to the version
included in this flashkit. This option is for updating just the
kernel with nvflash rather than using the blob method. This method
is also good for if you flash a bad ubuntu kernel to the device.
3) Android ROM:
- This option will update the android rom on the device with the
one from ./images/. This is good for if the ROM you use is updated
or you would like to change ROMs and there is an nvflash image for it.
This option does not destroy your data.
4) Ubuntu Rootfs:
- This will update your ubuntu image on the device. This is destructive
to data stored in the ubuntu image.
5) Advanced (Unsupported):
- Any option in this menu is not supported and should be considered
unstable. There may be bugs in these options and they are not maintained
at this point in time.
1) Flash ChromeOS Kernel (Primary Boot):
- This option will flash the ChromeOS kernel to the primary boot
partition. This option may not currently work in it's current
configuration.
2) Flash ChromeOS Kernel (Secondary Boot):
- This option will flash the ChromeOS kernel to the secondary boot
partition. This option may not currently work in it's current
configuration.
3) Update Uboot Partition:
- This option will update the u-boot boot partition that u-boot
reads the kernel and boot script from. This option does work if
you have installed u-boot by compiling it from source and installed
it yourself.
4) Flash ClockworkRecoveryMod:
- This option allows you to temperarily flash CWR to the device so
you can update the installed rom. It backs up the current kernel in
the recovery kernel position and then flashes CWR. When you have finished
using CWR you then push any key and put the device back in APX mode and
it will restore the kernel that was in that position. (This only works if
android is your primary boot option at this time).
4) Inject Firmware:
1) Bluetooth firmware (default install):
- This option will inject the Bluetooth firmware from the
android ROM located at ./images/ in to the ubuntu of your
currently running system.
2) Bluetooth firmware (CrOS Kernel):
- This option will inject the Bluetooth firmware from the
android ROM located at ./images/ in to the ubuntu of your
currently running system and flashes the proper u-boot kernel
if you no longer need adb support.
5) Onscreen Keyboard:
- This runs OnBoard so that you can run through oem-config properly
you only need to use this option if you do not have a keyboard dock
and on the first boot.
1) Standard Kernel:
- This will invoke oem-config on the standard kernel installed
on the device.
2) ChromeOS Kernel:
- This will invoke oem-config on the u-boot kernel that is
installed on the device and flashes the proper u-boot kernel
if you no longer need adb support.
Device Modes:
APX Mode:
-This mode is used by nvflash to write files to the eMMC device.
To boot in this mode you press Power and Vol-Up.
Recovery Mode:
- This mode is where CWR or Asus recovery normally lives, but is
replaced by the secondary OS in the dualboot configuration.
To boot in this mode you press Power and Vol-Down, then Vol-Up when prompted.
Normal Boot:
-This mode is where android normally lives.
To boot in this mode you press the Power button until the screen turns on.

Changelog
------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2a - Release name: Odyssey
* New name for kit: OLiFE
* New menu system
* Updated README
* Better handling of platform detection
* Bluetooth support in ubuntu.img
* Preliminary support for ChromeOS kernel
* Preliminary support for uboot
* Fixed touchpad
* Fixed network manager
* Updated to ubuntu oneiric
* More options for flashing and updating
* OTB Wireless support (No more injecting)
* Smaller ubuntu.img for faster upload to device
* Auto resizing of rootfs on first boot
* Larger partition size (6GB) for ubuntu
* Refactored to more easily between devices
* Maybe something else I have missed
1.1 - Release name: Daedalus
* Firmware injector for BT and wifi firmwares
1.0 and silent updates - Release name: Prometheus
* Support for x86_64 linux distributions
* Updated README for release on xda-developers
* Fixes to install scripts
* Initial Release

Downloads:
RootFS md5sum(1a9fa8a698e4a96245a3c08511841eb4)
OLiFE md5sum(c30263fd8271a23bb211fd9fdd69fa45)
OLiFE Prime Edition md5sum(767779ccfa200e5e00b2f1e33a3d73a9)
Sources:
http://gitweb.lilstevie.geek.nz
To clone the repos "git clone git://lilstevie.geek.nz/$(name of repo).git"

lilstevie said:
This is running natively and from the eMMC so no µSD card required,
The video is a class2 µSD card and speeds are not an example of speeds from this kit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your hard work, but I'm a bit confused by those 2 statements, contradicting each other :/
Also, if I understood properly, there is no CWM after selecting dual boot
Finally, is this a final release, or for testing purpose only ?
If final, a step by step guide would be very welcome
Edit : Just saw there is the tag [DEV] so forget about my last question (guide)

Wow, amazing work here. Haven't been able to do much to my Transformer as of late (due to uni starting up again, and been seeing how the TF goes as a substitute for my usual netbook), but absolutely can't wait to try this out when I got some time.
And yeah, I'm a tad confused here as well. I'm assuming that you mean the video was of Ubuntu running of your microSD drive using Jhinta's scripts but now this allows us to run it off the internal drive... am I right?
And how is the speed difference so far, running off internal vs class 2 microSD?
EDIT: Also, I'm assuming the same things that didn't work on Jhinta's aren't working on this (network-manager gui, touchpad etc)? Or have you changed things up a bit? And the tegra ppa you talk about; that contain the proprietary 3D drivers you were talking about having a lack of in the video?

Nice to see the post in XDA Good work !

bud77 said:
Thanks for your hard work, but I'm a bit confused by those 2 statements, contradicting each other :/
Also, if I understood properly, there is no CWM after selecting dual boot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The video was taken before I was stable enough to even think about using internal memory, where as this kit is not using the µSD
and yeah you lose recovery after selecting dual boot, not much we can do about that for the time being.
poltak11 said:
Wow, amazing work here. Haven't been able to do much to my Transformer as of late (due to uni starting up again, and been seeing how the TF goes as a substitute for my usual netbook), but absolutely can't wait to try this out when I got some time.
And yeah, I'm a tad confused here as well. I'm assuming that you mean the video was of Ubuntu running of your microSD drive using Jhinta's scripts but now this allows us to run it off the internal drive... am I right?
And how is the speed difference so far, running off internal vs class 2 microSD?
EDIT: Also, I'm assuming the same things that didn't work on Jhinta's aren't working on this (network-manager gui, touchpad etc)? Or have you changed things up a bit? And the tegra ppa you talk about; that contain the proprietary 3D drivers you were talking about having a lack of in the video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I started back at uni this week myself, and have been using my transformer as a netbook replacement with ubuntu. The video is using my stuff but before I had it running on the internal memory.
speed diference is massive between the class2 and internal. It was so great of a difference that I forget that it is arm now that it is on internal
the PPA will have things such as kernel updates, bluetooth enabler and all that. as for what is working in the release, things are pretty similar to Jhintas release, touchpad does not work correctly network manager gui doesn't work, I have something to enable bluetooth, that works nicely, but it isn't in the fs or up on the ppa yet. 3D drivers are a work in progress, still no EGL and the likes with the L4T releases, so it is really just acceleration for normal use, I have been working on them but as of yet no dice.

So using the PPA, in theory we won't have to flash the device again (at least for the ubuntu part), it will be able to auto-update itself ?

ErGo_404 said:
So using the PPA, in theory we won't have to flash the device again (at least for the ubuntu part), it will be able to auto-update itself ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, that is the plan anyway

lilstevie said:
the PPA will have things such as kernel updates, bluetooth enabler and all that. as for what is working in the release, things are pretty similar to Jhintas release, touchpad does not work correctly network manager gui doesn't work, I have something to enable bluetooth, that works nicely, but it isn't in the fs or up on the ppa yet. 3D drivers are a work in progress, still no EGL and the likes with the L4T releases, so it is really just acceleration for normal use, I have been working on them but as of yet no dice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah lovely idea with the PPA. When new 3.2 based Prime gets released, I'll try to get a few hours to myself to get this all working together.
Just a few quick questions first:
How do your scripts change the eMMC layout? Does eMMC work the same as a standard HDD/SSD partitioned with a GPT? As in, have you made separate partitions for Android and Ubuntu, or is it somehow shared?
And also related, how much room will it take up on the eMMC (as I've only got a 16GB TF)?
And finally, since you've been using yours at uni running Ubuntu, have you got any idea of the battery life running Ubuntu? I'm assuming it'd be pretty similar to stock, but yeah the battery indicator wasn't working last time I was playing around with Ubuntu from the microSD. Also, does the second keyboard battery work?

poltak11 said:
Ah lovely idea with the PPA. When new 3.2 based Prime gets released, I'll try to get a few hours to myself to get this all working together.
Just a few quick questions first:
How do your scripts change the eMMC layout? Does eMMC work the same as a standard HDD/SSD partitioned with a GPT? As in, have you made separate partitions for Android and Ubuntu, or is it somehow shared?
And also related, how much room will it take up on the eMMC (as I've only got a 16GB TF)?
And finally, since you've been using yours at uni running Ubuntu, have you got any idea of the battery life running Ubuntu? I'm assuming it'd be pretty similar to stock, but yeah the battery indicator wasn't working last time I was playing around with Ubuntu from the microSD. Also, does the second keyboard battery work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The second battery does work, unless you get one of those dodged ones that just randomly stops charging which happened to me, with the dock connected and the battery in it refusing to charge my battery lasted 6 hours.
the layout is different to standard, UDA(User DAta partition) is 4.2GB smaller than what it was, so you have 9.99gb for android and 4.2 for ubuntu, the kernel and recovery kernels are moved up to the end of the flash as well so that they are accessible through /dev

Just finished installing it. Yea, from internal memory it's working much faster. ~20 second boot time!(I didn't have timer with me, so I counted in the head) That's like my laptop with SSD + 10 second bios booting. With a dock it feels like a true netbook. I think I'll even dare to test c/c++ IDE on this thing. Good job!
Used online timer. It's 21 seconds.
Hmm how do I start wifi? eth0 is not even showing in the list of devices.

aligatro2010 said:
Just finished installing it. Yea, from internal memory it's working much faster. ~20 second boot time!(I didn't have timer with me, so I counted in the head) That's like my laptop with SSD + 10 second bios booting. With a dock it feels like a true netbook. I think I'll even dare to test c/c++ IDE on this thing.
Used online timer. It's 21 seconds.
Hmm how do I start wifi? eth0 is not even showing in the list of devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry forgot to mention in the first post, firmwares are not included in this release due to potential licensing issues, you can push the wifi firmware via adb to /lib/firmware and also the nvram, they are located in /system/vendor/fw_bcm4329.bin and /system/etc/nvram.txt on your android system, the module will autoload on boot once you have the firmware in place, and the interface will be named wlan0

lilstevie said:
Sorry forgot to mention in the first post, firmwares are not included in this release due to potential licensing issues, you can push the wifi firmware via adb to /lib/firmware and also the nvram, they are located in /system/vendor/fw_bcm4329.bin and /system/etc/nvram.txt on your android system, the module will autoload on boot once you have the firmware in place, and the interface will be named wlan0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nvram.txt to /etc right? I copied them straight from android partition, but it still doesn't load. Could it be because of the bcm4329_sta.bin or nvram should be placed in /lib/firmware ?
It works now.

So basically we will be able to dual boot Windows 7 and Android?

liorry said:
So basically we will be able to dual boot Windows 7 and Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, Windows 7 doesn't have arm version. Windows 8 maybe in future, long future ....

aligatro2010 said:
nvram.txt to /etc right? I copied them straight from android partition, but it still doesn't load. Could it be because of the bcm4329_sta.bin or nvram should be placed in /lib/firmware ?
It works now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the wifi firmware should be called fw_bcm4329.bin and nvram.txt should be in /lib/firmware, I probably should have been a little clearer, but I posted that just before going to bed, and was a little tired

lilstevie said:
the wifi firmware should be called fw_bcm4329.bin and nvram.txt should be in /lib/firmware, I probably should have been a little clearer, but I posted that just before going to bed, and was a little tired
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"bcm4329_sta.bin" was already there before I even copied 2 modules and it was also loaded as module when I did modprobe. (not 100% sure about the second)That's why I thought it was conflicting with android's modules.

Wow, great work! Can't wait to try it.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

I've probably missed something obvious.. But I get this.
file not found: linux.img
failed executing command 2147483647 NvError 0x4
command failure: create failed
rm: cannot remove `linux.img': No such file or directory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After like 5 minutes of NvFlash installing stuff.

[UPDATE: 2011.11.16] [RECOVERY] [ROOT] G2x Gingerbread 2.3.3 Stock using Linux

Follow the chronological order of the listed items...
1. Several things to KNOW and DO BEFORE starting:
- this is for Linux (that is your computer OS is Linux based) users ONLY!
- Mac (though UNIX based) and Windows users GO somewhere else!
- this REPLACES your stock recovery w/ clockwork recovery; this is NOT the same as installing rom manager from the market, which won't work on your "unrooted" phone anyway, go ahead try it
- this does NOT root your phone by itself, you need to follow all the directions
- be sure your battery is FULLY CHARGED, even though you'll be removing it for part of the directions
- COPY a rom of your choice to your external sd (ONLY if using ctso's procedure or using the updated clockwork recovery zip file labeled "external," otherwise copy the rom to the internal sd); I recommend CyanogenMod 7.1.0.1 Stable
- follow the procedure listed in #2
2. Procedure for replacing your stock recovery w/ clockwork recovery:
- SEE UPDATE BELOW as this flashes clockwork recovery v3.0.2.4
***********************************************************************************************************************************
The following procedure was provided by xda member ctso...many thanks to him!
***********************************************************************************************************************************
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1044326&highlight=recovery
***********************************************************************************************************************************
Again, thanks to ctso for the UNIX terminal bash script! Be sure to THANK him yourself!
***********************************************************************************************************************************
UPDATE:
- download one of the attached clockwork recovery zip files (they include nvflash) below INSTEAD of ctso's "nvflash-recovery.tgz" to have the newer clockwork v4.0.1.5
- use the "external" file to have clockwork read files from your external sd card
- OR use the "internal" file to have clockwork read files from your internal sd card
- THANKS to krylon360 for the updated clockwork
3. Several things to DO AFTER your DONE with the procedure by ctso above:
- reboot device into clockwork recovery by holding the POWER button and VOL DOWN button, let go when you see the word "ANDROID" in the mid-left, upper portion of the screen (occurs after the LG logo appears)
****I can't stress the next 4 items in bold red enough BEFORE proceeding to load your new rom****
***If you don't do this, you're a fool***
- be sure to "wipe data/factory reset"
- be sure to "wipe cache partition"
- be sure to go to "mounts and storage" then "format /system" then "format /data" then "format /cache"
- be sure to go to "advanced" and "Wipe Dalvik Cache"
- NOW, you may INSTALL the rom you copied to your sd card in #1
- be patient! You may not get feedback that the rom is loading! Let it sit for ~10min.
- once finished the clockwork recovery menu will reappear
- be sure to go to "advanced" and "Fix Permissions"
- be sure your battery is FULLY CHARGED, go to "advanced" then "Wipe Battery Stats"
- your done; you now have "rooted" and "rom'ed" your device!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
- I'm NOT responsible if you "BRICK" your phone
- If you don't understand what Linux is, you probably shouldn't be elevating the user privileges by "rooting" a phone that runs the linux kernel
- Do as I say, not as I do
- If I'm coming across as an asshole, it's because I probably am; I'll try to be nicer next time
- Developers put in a lot of their time and talent into projects for us for free, be sure to THANK them and DONATE to them
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
- LG P999, Rooted, CyanogenMod v7.1.0.1 Stable
- HP dv7t w/ Debian Linux

interesting
but usability does it actually bring to the phone

navendugoyal said:
but usability does it actually bring to the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Endless ....

navendugoyal said:
but usability does it actually bring to the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have to ask, then you probably shouldn't be "rooting" your mobile.

navendugoyal said:
but usability does it actually bring to the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You obviously have never checked the G2x Development Forum... lol

I used to have a G2x that was preloaded with Froyo 2.2, but since then have swapped phones for a newer G2x that was preloaded with Gingerbread 2.3.3. Both phones were brand new when purchased. Using the Froyo model, I was easily able to root and flash customer recovery i.e., super one click and NVFlash, however with the preloaded Gingerbread model, neither option works. I understand that I am supposed to just NVFlash clockworkmod recovery and then flash a custom 2.3.3 rooted ROM, but during the battery pull and plugging in the device while holding VOL UP + VOL DOWN, I no longer get the SW lettering on the screen. I have the exact same APX drivers and NVFlash that worked perfectly on my Froyo based G2x. Did LG change something to not allow official preloaded 2.3.3 devices to recognize APX drivers? Is anyone else experiencing this issue from a brand new 2.3.3 based G2x?
---------- Post added at 02:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 AM ----------
I only ask this because I went as far as installing Ubuntu OS to obtain the linux NVflash method to see if the drivers work under a different operating system. I then got stuck on ctso's description of "you should see device listed under "lspci." I typed in "lspci" into ubuntu's version of command prompt and did not see any android device connected. What am I supposed to be looking for exactly?

leonblade45 said:
I used to have a G2x that was preloaded with Froyo 2.2, but since then have swapped phones for a newer G2x that was preloaded with Gingerbread 2.3.3. Both phones were brand new when purchased. Using the Froyo model, I was easily able to root and flash customer recovery i.e., super one click and NVFlash, however with the preloaded Gingerbread model, neither option works. I understand that I am supposed to just NVFlash clockworkmod recovery and then flash a custom 2.3.3 rooted ROM, but during the battery pull and plugging in the device while holding VOL UP + VOL DOWN, I no longer get the SW lettering on the screen. I have the exact same APX drivers and NVFlash that worked perfectly on my Froyo based G2x. Did LG change something to not allow official preloaded 2.3.3 devices to recognize APX drivers? Is anyone else experiencing this issue from a brand new 2.3.3 based G2x?
---------- Post added at 02:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 AM ----------
I only ask this because I went as far as installing Ubuntu OS to obtain the linux NVflash method to see if the drivers work under a different operating system. I then got stuck on ctso's description of "you should see device listed under "lspci." I typed in "lspci" into ubuntu's version of command prompt and did not see any android device connected. What am I supposed to be looking for exactly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At that point it is not an Android device. It is an Nvidia APX device. If you have a Windows computer handy (friend or at work) just use the One-Click Recovery Flasher method.

Listen to me very carefully...
leonblade45 said:
I used to have a G2x that was preloaded with Froyo 2.2, but since then have swapped phones for a newer G2x that was preloaded with Gingerbread 2.3.3. Both phones were brand new when purchased. Using the Froyo model, I was easily able to root and flash customer recovery i.e., super one click and NVFlash, however with the preloaded Gingerbread model, neither option works. I understand that I am supposed to just NVFlash clockworkmod recovery and then flash a custom 2.3.3 rooted ROM, but during the battery pull and plugging in the device while holding VOL UP + VOL DOWN, I no longer get the SW lettering on the screen. I have the exact same APX drivers and NVFlash that worked perfectly on my Froyo based G2x. Did LG change something to not allow official preloaded 2.3.3 devices to recognize APX drivers? Is anyone else experiencing this issue from a brand new 2.3.3 based G2x?
---------- Post added at 02:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 AM ----------
I only ask this because I went as far as installing Ubuntu OS to obtain the linux NVflash method to see if the drivers work under a different operating system. I then got stuck on ctso's description of "you should see device listed under "lspci." I typed in "lspci" into ubuntu's version of command prompt and did not see any android device connected. What am I supposed to be looking for exactly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
************************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************************
thank you, for a detailed question. i appreciate that. i am glad you understand the basic concept of replacing the stock recovery, this helps immensely.
************************************************************************************************************
read carefully and thoroughly!
************************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************************
First, some questions and a bit of information...
1. did you install ubuntu linux as a virtual machine (guest) (i.e. using vm ware or virtual box) while using another os as a host (main) os?
2. ...or did you erase your previous os and replace it with ubuntu linux?
3. ...or are you dual booting ubuntu linux w/ windows or some other os (i only ask this to AVOID confusion in any further communicae)?
4. for the rest of this discussion we will assume you are EITHER dual booting w/ a linux os OR you erased your previous os and replaced it w/ some flavor of linux; if we HAD assumed that you were "virtualizing" a linux guest os inside of a host system like windows, then the unix bash script that ctso wrote MAY NOT work b/c virtual systems (regardless if vm ware or oracle's vrtual box) sometimes fowl up, for lack of better explanation at this point, and may not be able to identify usb connected devices properly
Second, some information...
1. a linux os (i.e. linux mint, ubuntu, debian, cent os, fedora, arch, open suse, slackware etc., etc.) does NOT need drivers to communicate to your linux kernel mobile as windows does. the linux os communicates, so to speak, to the linux that is running in your mobile handset
2. windows needs apx drivers to translate, if you will, windows/dos speak into linux/unix speak; again, the apx drivers mean NOTHING to linux b/c it does NOT need them and further more CAN NOT use them as they are for windows based computers only
3. windows' super oneclick/nv flash will NOT work w/ ANY g2x that has stock gb on it, even though it did work w/ a g2x that has stock froyo; this may change in the future (if this has changed tell me; though the info is personally useless to me b/c i have ran linux since 1999)
Third, more information...
1. the unix command 'lspci', literally means "list all pci devices" in unix speak, which, to reinforce again, is NOT understood by windows (for the most part; though dos was formulated off the unix structure)
2. the 'lspci' command is used just so you can verify that your g2x is connected to your linux computer, nothing more; and it is NOT necessary for any of ctso's procedure, he's just being complete
3. if you typed 'lspci' into the linux/unix terminal (what windows users like to call a command prompt), you would NOT see 'g2x' or anything of that nature listed; you would see a listing such as '00:05.0 PCI bridge: blah blah' (just an example!) that would indicate your mobile device is connected
4. so, do NOT worry about 'lspci'
Fourth and finally, more information and hopefully, a solution...
1. now, let's move on to more lessons in linux
2. let's pretend you downloaded ctso's script "flash-recovery.sh," how do you use it?
3. remove your mobile's battery
4. hold down VOL UP + VOL DOWN
5. simutaneously, connect your g2x to your computer (remember it better be running linux for this to work!)
6. release VOL UP + VOL DOWN
7. nothing will happen on your mobile (no "updating" or anything) and nothing will happen on your computer running linux (no windows popping up, no devices found, nothing!)
8. at this point, you could type 'lspci' into the linux/unix terminal (what windows users like to call a command prompt), but you won't b/c you don't know what you're looking at anyway
9. now, open the linux/unix terminal (what windows users like to call a command prompt)
10. navigate, yes, navigate through the folders using the terminal to where you downloaded ctso's script "flash-recovery.sh"
11. let's pretend you have the script and the ACCOMPANYING FILES that you got from ctso in a folder named 'linux' on your desktop
12. when you opened the terminal, you saw something that looked like this...
"[email protected] ~ $" w/o the quotes
13. navigate to the desktop by typing...cd Desktop
[email protected] ~ $ "cd Desktop" w/o the quotes, the "D" in desktop is capitalized and no spaces after the $
14. navigate to the folder named 'linux' that has all the goodies, not just the bash script, that ctso gave us (you are NOT going to directly use these other files, but the bash script DEPENDS on them!)
[email protected] ~/Desktop $ "cd linux" w/o the quotes
15. now, your in the folder named 'linux'
[email protected] ~/Desktop/linux $
16. now what? you will type the following...sudo bash flash-recovery.sh
[email protected] ~/Desktop/linux $"sudo bash flash-recovery.sh" w/o the quotes
17. you will be prompted for your user password, type it and press enter!
18. your mobile's screen will magically light up and say, "updating" or "SW" or whatever
19. when the terminal says the recovery image was transferred successfully, disconnect the mobile from the computer's usb, regardless of the mobile still displaying "SW"/"updating"!
20. you're done
21. i'm exhausted
_____________________________________________________________________________
- I'm NOT responsible if you "BRICK" your phone
- If you don't understand what Linux is, you probably shouldn't be elevating the user privileges by "rooting" a phone that runs the linux kernel
- Developers put in a lot of their time and talent into projects for us for free, be sure to THANK them and DONATE to them
__________________________________________________ __________________________
- LG P999, Rooted, Gb 2.3.3 Tweaked v1.2.2 by Xboarder
- HP dv7t w/ Debian Linux

If windows didn't exist, it would be a better world...
leonblade45 said:
I used to have a G2x that was preloaded with Froyo 2.2, but since then have swapped phones for a newer G2x that was preloaded with Gingerbread 2.3.3. Both phones were brand new when purchased. Using the Froyo model, I was easily able to root and flash customer recovery i.e., super one click and NVFlash, however with the preloaded Gingerbread model, neither option works. I understand that I am supposed to just NVFlash clockworkmod recovery and then flash a custom 2.3.3 rooted ROM, but during the battery pull and plugging in the device while holding VOL UP + VOL DOWN, I no longer get the SW lettering on the screen. I have the exact same APX drivers and NVFlash that worked perfectly on my Froyo based G2x. Did LG change something to not allow official preloaded 2.3.3 devices to recognize APX drivers? Is anyone else experiencing this issue from a brand new 2.3.3 based G2x?
---------- Post added at 02:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 AM ----------
I only ask this because I went as far as installing Ubuntu OS to obtain the linux NVflash method to see if the drivers work under a different operating system. I then got stuck on ctso's description of "you should see device listed under "lspci." I typed in "lspci" into ubuntu's version of command prompt and did not see any android device connected. What am I supposed to be looking for exactly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****************************************************************************************************************
jboxer said:
At that point it is not an Android device. It is an Nvidia APX device. If you have a Windows computer handy (friend or at work) just use the One-Click Recovery Flasher method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****************************************************************************************************************
jboxer, I appreciate you trying to help leonblade45 , but...
****************************************************************************************************************
You are confusing the issue.
- apx drivers are NOT needed in a linux based os (i.e. ubuntu linux) and WILL NOT work in linux
- leonblade is trying to use linux, but is getting confused w/ windows knowledge he may have regarding drivers and why they are needed for windows
- windows' oneclick (as far as i know; if i'm wrong, correct me) is NOT currently able to flash the recovery onto any g2x running STOCK GB
- PLEASE SEE MY POST BELOW leonblade's QUESTION
- thank you

linux_user9 said:
If you have to ask, then you probably shouldn't be "rooting" your mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or he could be new and getting a feel for rooting.
Why do you people need to say rude things like this?

Oh well...
blestsol said:
Or he could be new and getting a feel for rooting.
Why do you people need to say rude things like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****************************************************************************************************************
Mr. bletsol:
- remember "rooting" or granting super user access to the linux kernel is NOT BENIGN
- Aesthetics of the mobile is NOT a good enough reason to "root", functionality/usability is understandable
- I'll say it until I'm blue in the face (which seems to be, what it takes when trying to educate windows and mac users): If you don't understand what Linux is, you probably shouldn't be elevating the user privileges by "rooting" a phone that runs the linux kernel

I see. Thanks linux_user9, your explanation is much more clear than the instructions provided by ctso. This has been a great help. I actually did end up partitioning my drive and fulling installing Ubuntu along side the Windows 7 OS. The only reason I got rid of my originally rooted G2x was because I could not escape the plagued GPS-lock problems from installing a CM7-based rom. I bought the preloaded 2.3.3 G2x in hopes of rooting it and installing an OTA 2.3.3 based rom right from the get go.

Glad to hear it!
leonblade45 said:
I see. Thanks linux_user9, your explanation is much more clear than the instructions provided by ctso. This has been a great help. I actually did end up partitioning my drive and fulling installing Ubuntu along side the Windows 7 OS. The only reason I got rid of my originally rooted G2x was because I could not escape the plagued GPS-lock problems from installing a CM7-based rom. I bought the preloaded 2.3.3 G2x in hopes of rooting it and installing an OTA 2.3.3 based rom right from the get go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad to hear that the instructions were of use, please forgive me if I came across stern or condescending. I am also glad to hear you are exploring the world of linux and that you're one-step closer to completely replacing windows!
linux_user9

leonblade45 said:
I see. Thanks linux_user9, your explanation is much more clear than the instructions provided by ctso. This has been a great help. I actually did end up partitioning my drive and fulling installing Ubuntu along side the Windows 7 OS. The only reason I got rid of my originally rooted G2x was because I could not escape the plagued GPS-lock problems from installing a CM7-based rom. I bought the preloaded 2.3.3 G2x in hopes of rooting it and installing an OTA 2.3.3 based rom right from the get go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I did that dual-booting a year ago as well. And then, after 2-3 weeks, I switched. I've been Windoze-free for a year now.
(lol... sounds like out of rehab)

G2X Root with linux
WINNING!!!
Ubuntu lucid. Worked perfectly.

softbrick
So I have an lg g2x running gingerbread 2.3.3 and I went through this procedure. Everything seemed to work as described except that the phone now will not boot. I get to the LG screen but then the buttons just blink and shuts down.
I must have missed a step somewhere, though I am not sure where that might have happened. In any case, I would like to get this working or, at the very least, get the phone back and working.
Any advice is appreciated.

Soft-Brick
cyberlync said:
So I have an lg g2x running gingerbread 2.3.3 and I went through this procedure. Everything seemed to work as described except that the phone now will not boot. I get to the LG screen but then the buttons just blink and shuts down.
I must have missed a step somewhere, though I am not sure where that might have happened. In any case, I would like to get this working or, at the very least, get the phone back and working.
Any advice is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2011.12.05
cyberlync:
I am sorry to hear that you're having issues with the procedure. Let me first say that I didn't receive your message until yesterday, as I choose to receive only weekly updates via email on posts that I create.
If your issue is resolved, let me know. What you're describing in your post is what is called a "boot loop," if I'm understanding you correctly.
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS (I know that I can be long-winded)
First, several questions for you:
1. What Linux distro are you using (i.e. Debian, Linux Mint, LMDE, Ubuntu, CentOS, etc.)? Also, what version of Linux distro are you using (i.e. Debian 6.0, Linux Mint 11, etc.) Hopefully, you're not running Linux as a VM in a Mac or Windows host.
2. What Android distro or "rom" did you decide to use (i.e. CyanogenMod, Bionix, EDT, WeaponG2x, Tsugi, etc.)? You may need to download a "fresh" copy of the "rom" in case it is damaged, corrupt or incomplete. Again, I highly recommend Cyanogenmod 7.1.0.1 Stable (Don't forget to install "gapps" if you want Google Apps in CM7)
3. With your mobile off, are you able to boot into Clockwork Recovery by HOLDING DOWN THE VOL DOWN KEY and the POWER BUTTON simutaneously, THEN RELEASING them after the initial splash screen has displayed (the splash screen image will depend on which Android distro you're using; i.e. the LG logo.)?
4. Which Clockwork Recovery are you using, that is, what is the version number (if you don't know, tell me the color that the text is appearing; i.e. orange, red, blue, etc.)? Did you use ctso's recovery flash image or one of the updated attached one's that I provided, courtesy of krylon?
Second, there's GOOD NEWS if you can boot into Clockwork Recovery, the "fix" will be much quicker. Boot into Clockwork Recovery, then do the following:
1. Check to ensure that you have a copy of the "rom," that you downloaded onto your computer, on your mobile by going to (the power button is the enter key, vol keys allow scrolling up/down) --> install zip from sdcard > choose zip from sdcard; if you do NOT have this on the sdcard, all is NOT lost in the short-term provided you used the EXTERNAL recovery flash image from krylon that I provided or the ONLY recovery flash image from ctso. If you have used the INTERNAL recovery flash image (and depending on which "rom" you have chosen, as some have re-ordered the P999's mount points), make your life easier and REPEAT THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE OP USING THE EXTERNAL IMAGE, otherwise you may need to download the Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) from the Google developer's website and I'll have to administer some Linux/UNIX command-line instructions. IF THIS IS THE CASE, I DON'T MIND HELPING YOU, BUT IT MAY BE EASIER TO CHAT IN ICQ OR ANOTHER ONLINE MESSAGING SERVICE.
2. PROCEED TO THE FOLLOWING IF YOU USED AN EXTERNAL RECOVERY IMAGE AND HAVE A "ROM" ON YOUR MOBILE'S SDCARD:
a) If you do NOT have a "rom" on your EXTERNAL SDCARD, connect your mobile via USB to your computer, boot into Clockwork Recovery, then go to: mounts and storage > mount USB storage, press enter (power button). Then copy the "rom" to your device's EXTERNAL sdcard (NOT THE 5.8GB SDCARD [IF APPEARING; IT MAY NOT DEPENDING ON WHICH "ROM" YOU'VE CHOSEN AS SOME RE-ORDER THE P999'S MOUNT POINTS], THAT IS YOUR INTERNAL SD); next > unmount USB storage. Safely Remove drive (right-click) via the Linux file manager.
b) NOW DO THE FOLLOWING FROM MY OP:
- be sure to "wipe data/factory reset"
- be sure to "wipe cache partition"
- be sure to go to "mounts and storage" then "format /system" then "format /data" then "format /cache"
- be sure to go to "advanced" and "Wipe Dalvik Cache"
- NOW, you may INSTALL the rom you copied to your sd card
- be patient! You may not get feedback that the rom is loading! Let it sit for ~10min.
- once finished the clockwork recovery menu will reappear
- be sure to go to "advanced" and "Fix Permissions"
- be sure your battery is FULLY CHARGED, go to "advanced" then "Wipe Battery Stats"
3. This should've fixed it.
More questions/problems? We'll work through it.
linux_user9

[Kernel] EFIDROID - Ultimate preboot enviroment! - Multiboot / Fastboot / UEFI

updated4/4/2017 (Still does not work on stock 5.0) - Removed due to it still not booting stock 5.0, and ALSO now breaks booting unpatched.
twrp 3.1 is broken
twrp 2.7 is broken
twrp 3.0.1 works
some/most custom roms work
Most official/stock do not.
EFIDROID - Official link
Developer: m11kkaa
DO NOT BUG THE AUTHOR ABOUT BUGS/FEATURES, THIS IS UNOFFICIAL.
Most custom roms appear to boot
Install:
assumes on stock firmware (Custom roms must report the DEVICEID as hlte, hltetmo, hltespr or hltevzw. Ask your Rom maintainer to correct it or visit post #51)
assumes root and bootloader unlocked
For now "efidroid" on playstore is not configured for our device, so we will do this using our own server:
Download "EFIDROID" from the playstore
Download "TerminalEmulator" from the playstore (or use adb shell)
Download "SimpleHTTPServer" from the playstore
NEW UNTESTED - Removed
OLD Download EFIDROID_SERVER_FILES from View attachment EFIDROID_SERVER_FILES.zip
Open and extract the "device" and "ota" folder to the INTERNAL storage of your phone
Open SimpleHTTPServer (do not change default settings)
Open Terminal Emulator and enter: (make sure you didn't forget any spaces)
su
setprop efidroid.server_url "http://localhost:12345"
Now open efidroid, it should automatically connect. Now press the menu key in the top left corner and press install, then press the big install button.
Now create your slot, and reboot.
Use the vol +/- to navigate up or down, use the power button to select an option
Long press power button on internal rom/recovery to boot without efidroid
Reinstalling/Updating:
Download the new OTAPACKAGE file and extract to INTERNALSD, replace old device/ota folders
Clear EFIDROIDMANAGER cache/data
Run the SETPROP command (don't forget su)
Turn on SimpleHTTPserver
Open efidroid and click uninstall, and then click install (Or click reinstall)
MAKE SURE YOUR BUILD DATE NOW MATCHES THE UPDATED BUILD DATE
Uninstall:
if you hit the uninstall button, the app copies the contents of the UEFIESP back to the real partitions and deletes the partition_*.img files. It does not delete the UEFIESP directory or any of the multiboot directories because they may contain other important files.
flashing boot+recovery outside of EFIDroid's control(e.g. using stock's fastboot/odin flash, or using unpatched boot) is pretty much the same as uninstalling efidroid without deleting the partition_*img files.
All that means that you don't have to worry about any of that if you restores your boot+recovery partitions(either through the app or manually). If you want to free up some space you can delete the UEFIESP directory using a root file manager.
Bugs/Issues:
REPORT ERRORS/BUG ON GITHUB
"can't find tagloader for type -1" - your recovery/rom is not supported (like twrp 3)
Report errors: https://github.com/efidroid/projectmanagement/issues
What you must include:
Exact steps to reproduce the error
Give the exact error shown on screen
If its storage related:
Give the output of "cat /proc/1/mountinfo"
EMERGENCY :
If you find yourself frustrated and just wanting things back the way they were:
Download odin
Download twrp (get the md5/tar version for odin)
Turn off phone (pull battery)
boot to download mode by holding vol down and home and power
Start up odin and press the AP button and browse for the TWRP file. Press start to flash.
Reboot phone into twrp recovery (vol up + home + power), and restore your boot/recovery partitions.
EFIDROID has now been effectively disabled[/HIDE]
Help and info:
If you are familiar with adding touchscreen support please visit us!
Join us on Slack : http://join-efidroid.rhcloud.com/
Once joined: https://efidroid.slack.com/
EFIDROID G+ page : https://plus.google.com/communities/...43671219382368
[/CENTER]

Works on N9005 LTE ?

It looks pretty cool but I've got limited knowledge. My N9005 is on phronesis rom v4.1, IdleKernel v6.6.5 and all partitions converted to F2FS, will it work on this format as well :/

As long as it is a note 3 on msm8974 (sorry exynos) it should work.
File system support should be trivial. I used that same FS myself

Is this an actual GRUB loader for android?
If so am ashuming this means it's possible for UNIX install
i.e. Arch Linux as OS.......

Hmmm.... Windows RT on Note 3... ^^
What about ACPI? We might need this for WinRT

With all due respect, I think you've posted a how to post bit earlier. I'm a flashaholic & the wait for the zip is killing me

I didn't think the day would come.
As a pleb, I will follow this thread with great interest.

djmalik420 said:
With all due respect, I think you've posted a how to post bit earlier. I'm a flashaholic & the wait for the zip is killing me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lololol

Wonder if this is ever going to work Great concept though.

Fake ¿ ???
Only what i see its a bootanimation, in the Video from a "older and other"

The OP account is suspended so I guess something fishy is going on.

Guess we will wait and see

oh come on now. I got suspended for being rude to a well respected member of xda. And its not fake... Really? Anyways... I took my ban as a break and just started back with m1cha on getting the uefi part to work with the screen.
A few pointers: You still need devs to port each os, like windows, true linux ect.
This is just a multiboot. So many devices lack that, some had safestrap, or kexec ect, but all those methods had quirks or special rules, or depended on android. This loads before even the kernel.
Also, it will have many tools that a typical recovery has, so you may not even need to reboot into recovery to setup partitions, also aroma was ported, so maybe even installing roms/kernels too.
Also, there will be an efidroid server "store" where you can get tools and apps to run in efidroid. So devs can extend functionality. Also there will be an android installer to make everything easier.
Just think of this as a pimped out safestrap.

SaschaElble said:
oh come on now. I got suspended for being rude to a well respected member of xda. And its not fake... Really? Anyways... I took my ban as a break and just started back with m1cha on getting the uefi part to work with the screen.
A few pointers: You still need devs to port each os, like windows, true linux ect.
This is just a multiboot. So many devices lack that, some had safestrap, or kexec ect, but all those methods had quirks or special rules, or depended on android. This loads before even the kernel.
Also, it will have many tools that a typical recovery has, so you may not even need to reboot into recovery to setup partitions, also aroma was ported, so maybe even installing roms/kernels too.
Also, there will be an efidroid server "store" where you can get tools and apps to run in efidroid. So devs can extend functionality. Also there will be an android installer to make everything easier.
Just think of this as a pimped out safestrap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter what negative comments you get because "Criticism Is The Key To Innovation" it's my personal quotation ...I've been visiting this thread since day one at minimum of three times a day hopping that you would have uploaded the zip...Make it quick buddy & keep up the good work :good:

We need a samsung expert. Getting the display to work in uefi is troublesome. DTSI and gcdb display experience is needed.

SaschaElble said:
We need a samsung expert. Getting the display to work in uefi is troublesome. DTSI and gcdb display experience is needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as my knowledge is concerned, Master @darkera13 is kinda expert you're looking for...I don't personally know him or his skills but people around note 3 forums praise his work very much

Is this Note 3 specific?
This is kinda an off topic question, but, just a few days ago i wanted to try Remix OS out in my PC, but noticed that there is no direct EFI support...just thinking if this thread would be any benefit for PC UEFI users trying to boot Android x86 directly through efi file.
sorry for the question, might be my knowledge limitation on the field...

Using a x64 cpu and grub or refind you can boot RemixOS, they have a uefi image on their site. (Thats what they said) Basically you really don't need efidroid for this, as it would only make it more complicated.

grub is exactly my problem...
thanks a lot for clarifying

Question Many questions from a total Android newbie

Hi,
Although I passed my 40 I just bought my first smartphone a few week ago. It’s a Doogee S96Pro. As somebody who like to understand how it works, I already learn a few thing on the Android ecosystem.
I’ve been able to activate the developer mode and to use adb to uninstall some apps. I also managed to boot in fastboot mode to unlock the phone.
My first attempt at flashing was a fail, the phone was rebooting in a loop, indicating "Red state". I guess I should have never "fastboot flash boot/recovery foo.img" if "fastboot boot foo.img" didn’t work? What’s your opinion on this?
The Doogee support sent me a link to the files for my phone. In fact someone on this forum has had already posted it. The two archives are named :
S9S88A7.DGE.DOOGEE.EEA.HB.HJ.AYYDVFAZ.1130.V3.02.zip
S9S88A7.DGE.DOOGEE.HB.HJ.AYYDVFAZ.1203.V3.04.zip
To make the phone boot again I flashed the boot partition with the boot.img file I found in the second archive. If I understood what I read, the file with "EEA" in it’s name is the "European version" while the other one is the "Global version".
Although I flashed with the boot.img that was in S9S88A7.DGE.DOOGEE.HB.HJ.AYYDVFAZ.1203.V3.04.zip, if I go to the update info (About the phone > Update), I can see the string S9S88A7.DGE.DOOGEE.EEA.HB.HJ.AYYDVFAZ.0128.V3.03_20210128-1612. I don’t understand why this difference (v3.03 vs. v3.04).
Then I used the Magisk Manager to patch this boot.img file and flash it again. I now have root access on the phone which is nice.
Now the questions!
When booting the phone says: “Orange state, your phone’s unlocked”, then it boots normally. What’s the implication of this? I’m not sure but I think I tried to lock it again (fastboot flashing lock) but the message remains. Does it sound possible to you? I should check again this point…
In the Magisk Manager I also tried the "SafetyNet" check, which is refused. Is it OK? What does it imply? Why would I need to pass this SafetyNet test for?
I’m not sure I understood how the recovery thing works… I understand it’s another partition than "boot", and I know I can boot on it using the boot menu (pressing volume up when turning on the phone). What I don’t know is if it starts a recovering of the system automatically when booting on this partition (then erasing all data on the phone), or not.
Let’s say I flash the boot.img on the recovery partition (fastboot flash recovery boot.img). If I do a normal boot it should boot as usual, but if I boot on recovery it would boot on a virgin system. Am I right? Let says I configure nothing and reboot again, a normal boot this time. I then should get back to my usual, already configured system, as the "boot" partition hasn’t been modified. Is this also right?
Before doing anymore tests I would like to be able to backup an image with the phone already configured, with data and root access and applications. One (or maybe two or three?) file I can keep on my computer, and in case I break the boot on the phone, I could just fastboot flash boot my_custom_image.img to recover my phone configured. Oy maybe also flashing a "userdata" partition? Would I need some other partition? Is it more complicated than that?
It seems I have to identify the right partition(s) and carefully use dd to dump the partition to an image file… Before trying to do so I’d like to have some advice, hence this post!
Also. I read about a software called TWPR. Should I use it, and why ? I understand it’s a system aimed to be flashed on the recovery partition, is it right? What’s its use?
Finally I read about LineageOS which is the ultimate customization for the phone, it’s a “pure” Android, which is totally opensource (but it has to uses a lot of proprietary blob for devices AFAIK). I don’t think I’ll get there anyway. If I’m not mistaken it’s hard to do, especially with new phones nobody has ran LineageOS on, and there is something like no probability all the devices would work anyway.
Have a nice day.

there's no implication when you see "Orange state, your phone’s unlocked” unless you didn't the one who did it that means your device is tampered ..
also on SafetyNet is broad topic you can learn what it is here https://www.didgeridoohan.com/magisk/MagiskHideSafetyNet also
"Why would I need to pass this SafetyNet test for?" there are multiple reason such as you can't install banking apps,netflix, ...etc nor download them via playstore
moving on it is not recommend to backup userdata partition since it just contain all contains evidence of user activity. It contains call and SMS records, contacts, user-installed apps, app data, settings, and so-on-and-so-forth. In most newer phones, it also is likely to contain photos and videos and other user-generated files unless an external SD card is present. Also it would be impossible to restore userdata partition since android is encrypting it with unique key every time you set up your device https://source.android.com/security/encryption/full-disk
this prevent rooted application crawling on other application data such as paypal just stealing your login info and money
TWRP is like recovery mode but more feature packed (you can backup partition with it not available on stock recovery)
also experience is the best teacher you must experience failure to improve

ineedroot69 said:
Also it would be impossible to restore userdata partition since android is encrypting it with unique key every time you set up your device https://source.android.com/security/encryption/full-disk
this prevent rooted application crawling on other application data such as paypal just stealing your login info and money
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a simple ADB command you can decrypt Android partitions:
Code:
adb shell "recovery --set_encrypted_filesystem=on|off" <- enables / diasables encrypted fs

Hi,
Many thx for your answers.
also experience is the best teacher you must experience failure to improve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that. I accidentally uninstalled the stock launcher with ADB. I’ve been able to install another launcher (I think I’ll keep on Nova Launcher). I tested a few (Launcher<3 and KISS Launcher), although they work fine none of them support switching between running apps. It’s a little bit annoying but I have another way to stop running apps (with App Manager). I guess the only way to get this functionality back is to flash again the boot partition with the Magisk patched image I already used, and to re-configure all the phone again (this is good to learn and luckily I don’t have important data in the phone yet).
Also it would be impossible to restore userdata partition since android is encrypting it with unique key every time you set up your device https://source.android.com/security/encryption/full-disk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn’t be possible to dump both boot and userdata partitions and then flash them back both “at once”. The key for encrypting/decrypting the user data being contains in the boot (system ?) partition?
I realize Android has a bunch of security configuration you rarely find on a Linux server. Also the hardware is full of devices which require close-source firmware to operate. This is definitively not a good platform for hacking, like most PC are or a Rasberry Pi is . And I bet Windows and Apple phones are evermore closed…
About encrypting, I have a file called "googlekey/kb_0000000000.bin", which is the same in two archives the support sent me
$ md5sum S9S88A7.DGE.DOOGEE.*/googlekey/kb*
ead8a1d0f11e5f12bdda0f7a22935c2b S9S88A7.DGE.DOOGEE.EEA.HB.HJ.AYYDVFAZ.1130.V3.02/googlekey/kb_0000000000.bin
ead8a1d0f11e5f12bdda0f7a22935c2b S9S88A7.DGE.DOOGEE.HB.HJ.AYYDVFAZ.1203.V3.04/googlekey/kb_0000000000.bin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This file is not “per device” knowing every S96Pro users get the same archives. What’s its purpose?
I wonder the same for many files in this archive but I won’t bother you, I’ll make some search.
The one thing I’d like to understand is why the archive is labelled "1203.V3.04" and the system on my phone (after I flashed the boot partition with (a Magisk patched made from) the boot.img in this archive says : "0128.V3.03_20210128". Could it be related to the Magisk patching? (I didn’t check what I had with the stock boot.img). Or I have been downgraded by Google during install?
With a simple ADB command you can decrypt Android partitions:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx for this. What does it imply to do so? Will the Android system run with this unencrypted data partition? Is there a way to encrypt it again? (With ADB or directly in the phone?)
I’ve seen there are dozens of partitions on a running Android. So far this is what I understood (is this correct?) : There are three important partitions : boot, recovery and userdata. "boot" et "recovery" are the only ones the device can boot on (except booting from an image in fastboot mode using "fastboot boot boot.img"?). Are they some other important partitions this is important to be aware of?
Having a bootable "boot" and a bootable "recovery" partitions, it should be possible to install two different Android OS? I guess this is not possible and the "recovery" partition is dedicated to recovering (ie: reinstall the system) but I don’t understand how and why exactly. The encrypting thing maybe? The system must have a userdata partition and this one can’t be shared between to system…
I think I should buy an older Android smartphone to make all that kind of test, especially knowing I don’t have any other phone I can use for everyday use… Do you have some advice on brands and models which are more friendly with customization of the system?
Apart of ADB and fastboot, what are the other important tools to know about?
For Android development (I mean development of apps for Android), does everyone use an emulator? What’s the best option for such an emulator on Linux?
Have a nice day.

Marotte said:
For Android development (I mean development of apps for Android), does everyone use an emulator? What’s the best option for such an emulator on Linux?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My recommendation is GenyMotion for Linux. This emulator requires VirtualBox for Linux gets installed before.
Install GenyMotion
How To Install GenyMotion (Android Emulator) On Linux | 2DayGeek
2daygeek.com Linux Tips, Tricks & News today :- How to Install GenyMotion (Android Emulator) on Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, openSUSE, Arch Linux, Fedora, CentOS, RHEL, Mageia, Manjaro
www.2daygeek.com
DL VirtualBox
Linux_Downloads – Oracle VM VirtualBox
www.virtualbox.org

Marotte said:
Having a bootable "boot" and a bootable "recovery" partitions, it should be possible to install two different Android OS? I guess this is not possible and the "recovery" partition is dedicated to recovering (ie: reinstall the system) but I don’t understand how and why exactly. The encrypting thing maybe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Partitions /boot & /recovery explained:
/boot
This is the partition that enables the phone to boot, as the name suggests. It includes the kernel and the ramdisk. Without this partition, the device will simply not be able to boot.
/recovery
The recovery partition can be considered as an alternative boot partition that lets you boot the device into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it.
That's what you can do from within the recovery console:
Reboot system now
Install ZIP from SD-card
Install ZIP from Sideload
Wipe data / factory reset
Wipe cache partition
Backup and restore

Mobile/Android devices architecture

I'm having trouble understanding the architecture of mobile (and Android) devices. I compare it a lot to the design of PCs, laptops, etc, which I know quite well.
Here's my understanding on how PCs work when booting:
The hardware has firmware stored in ROM (Read Only Memory). Actually, Flash memory is used nowadays, on which the stored content can of course be changed, unlike real ROM memories in the old days. Because the firmware is hardware-specific and its operation is very critical, its content is rarely updated or otherwise changed. Installing new firmware is called flashing. Firmware in a PC is most commonly BIOS or UEFI, the task of which is (briefly) to first run the POST tests, provide some interfaces and finally start the software in the mass storage. By mass storage, I mean memory separate from the firmware's Flash memory, which can also be Flash memory, such as an SSD disk, or a more traditional hard disk.The BIOS (i.e. firmware) in the specified order (which first is the internal NVMe SSD or the external USB hard disk?) tries to load the software into the RAM memory for execution from mass storage MBR (Master Boot Record) part . Master boot record is a physical defined area in mass storage. Bootloader software is stored on this MBR part.When the bootloader (located on the MBR part) is loaded into RAM and run, it knows the contents of the end of the disk and starts the kernel from there.The kernel starts (in Linux) the init process, nowadays often Systemd, which starts the rest of the software.--------------------
What kind of memories and storages are most commonly found in Android devices? One main memory (i.e. RAM)? One Flash memory for firmware (i.e ROM)? Another separate flash drive that acts as mass storage? Possibly SD card and USB stick as external mass storage?
What is firmware on Android devices?
What is the bootloader in (located in MBR part) on Android?
Linux is the kernel used by Android, which is started by the bootloader? After that, Android continues to boot, how?
A pile of terms, which I have ambiguities:
Bootloader; What's it like on Android? It is often characterized as hardware specific. So is it the case that the bootloader in Android is firmware? So in Android, the firmware runs the tasks of the PC world BIOS and bootloader (located in the MBR part), and then starts the Android located on the mass storage?
Recovery; What is this technically?
Android ROM; I can't understand this. As far as I know, Android is an operating system located mass storage, not Read-Only-Memory firmware.
Rooting; On a PC, we are used to the fact that the owner of the device has root rights. Is it just that the manufacturers have decided to set the default root password to some generated random string, and by default, the user only has access to the basic user account?
After the above has been answered, I would like someone to explain to me (separately) technically, starting from the hardware level (where and how), how do Android devices booting and work? Links to additional information are also welcome. hank you very much! If anyone can answer my questions, thank you very much!

Your questions should put you to shame.
Start reading yourself, building up your knowledge as you read.
Anyway, welcome to the forum. After a year of reading, you will laugh at your post.

ze7zez said:
Your questions should put you to shame.
Start reading yourself, building up your knowledge as you read.
Anyway, welcome to the forum. After a year of reading, you will laugh at your post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know my questions are stupid, but I'm impasse. It seems that there is much less information about designing for mobile devices than PCs. Could you link some articles on this? As the last article I read this, but it didn't help much, because I compare too much what I learned on PCs.

There are no stupid questions, there are only stupid answers.
Start with the basics based on information from google:
Architecture overview | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com

ze7zez said:
There are no stupid questions, there are only stupid answers.
Start with the basics based on information from google:
Architecture overview | Android Open Source Project
source.android.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is useful, but there is a reason why I asked about mobile/Android device design/architecture. Android itself is as far as I know (if I'm not mistaken) just an operating system, like the desktop operating systems Windows and Ubuntu, but mobile/Android devices are very different from PCs in terms of hardware and firmware. For example: https://www.quora.com/Is-there-anything-like-BIOS-in-mobiles-How-do-they-boot

How long is a huge ball of string?
No simple answer...
This is for those who are new to Android development and basically have NO understanding about the partition structure. I will give a high-level introductory explanation. PC GNU/Linux users: please note this is completely different from x86 (PC Linux) partition table. You will not come across partitions denoted as sda1, sda2, sdb1, sdb2, and so on. Instead, it will be structured as follows:
/boot
This is the partition that has all the data that is necessary for the phone to boot. It includes the kernel and the RAMDISK (these are the only components of the operating system that are stored in this partition. The remaining are stored in /System). Without this partition, the device will simply not be able to boot. Wiping this partition from recovery should only be done if absolutely required and once done, the device must NOT be rebooted before installing a new one, which can be done by installing a ROM that includes a /boot partition.
/system
This partition basically contains the entire operating system, except the kernel and the RAMDISK (as mentioned in /boot explanation). This includes the Android User Interface as well as all the system applications that come pre-installed on the device. Wiping this partition will remove Android from the device without rendering it unbootable, but you will still be able to boot into the /recovery partition to install a new ROM.
/recovery
The recovery partition can be considered as an alternative boot partition that lets you boot the device into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it. Think of this like a proprietary recovery partition that PC companies put on prebuilt PCs. When you flash a custom recovery such as TWRP or CWM, you are overwriting this partition.
/data
Also called userdata, the data partition contains the user’s data – this is where your contacts, messages, settings and apps that you have installed go. Wiping this partition essentially performs a factory reset on your device, restoring it to the way it was when you first booted it, or the way it was after the last official or custom ROM installation. When you perform a wipe data/factory reset from recovery, it is this partition that you are wiping.
/cache
This is the partition where Android stores frequently accessed data and app components. Wiping the cache doesn’t effect your personal data but simply gets rid of the existing data there, which gets automatically rebuilt as you continue using the device.
/misc
This partition contains miscellaneous system settings in form of on/off switches. These settings may include CID (Carrier or Region ID), USB configuration and certain hardware settings etc. This is an important partition and if it is corrupt or missing, several of the device’s features will will not function normally.
/sdcard
This is not a partition on the internal memory of the device but rather the SD card. In terms of usage, this is your storage space to store your media, documents, downloads, pictures, videos, ROMs etc. on it. It is like the equivalent of the ' Users/[Username] ' folder in Windows and ' /home/~ ' folder in x86 Linux. Wiping it is perfectly safe as long as you backup all the data you require from it, to your computer first. Though several user-installed apps save their data and settings on the SD card and wiping this partition will make you lose all that data.
On devices with both an internal and an external SD card – devices like the Samsung Galaxy S and several tablets – the /sdcard partition is always used to refer to the internal SD card. For the external SD card – if present – an alternative partition is used, which differs from device to device. In case of Samsung Galaxy S series devices, it is /sdcard/sd while in many other devices, it is /sdcard2. Unlike /sdcard, no system or app data whatsoever is stored automatically on this external SD card and everything present on it has been added there by the user. You can safely wipe it after backing up any data from it that you need to save.
/sd-ext
This is not a standard Android partition, but has become popular in the custom ROM scene. It is basically an additional partition on your SD card that acts as the /data partition when used with certain ROMs that have special features called APP2SD+ or data2ext enabled. It is especially useful on devices with little internal memory allotted to the /data partition. Thus, users who want to install more programs than the internal memory allows can make this partition and use it with a custom ROM that supports this feature, to get additional storage for installing their apps. Wiping this partition is essentially the same as wiping the /data partition – you lose your contacts, SMS, market apps and settings.
/Boot (Is NOT viewable in Android)
/Recovery (Is NOT viewable in Android)
/Data (Userdata) (Is viewable in Android)
/Cache (Is viewable in Android)
/System (Is viewable in Android)
/Misc (Is NOT viewable in Android)
Ram
https://developer.android.com/topic/performance/memory-management
Understanding Firmware naming:
N986USQU1ATGM
N=Note
986U or F etc, the model of device
SQ, FX etc = CPU and model specific
U,S,E = Update, Security, Engineering, respectively
1,2,3,4,5 etc = bootloader revision (This is important! You cannot go to a previous revision)
A,B,C,D = Android version
T, U = Year (T=2020, U=2021 etc)
A,B,C etc = month (January A - December L)
1 - 9 and then A - Z =build compilation. This basically means how many builds there are in a month. They start at 1 and go to Z
So N986USQU1ATGM would be
N968-U-SQ-U-1-A-T-G-M
N968U (Note 20 Ultra Carrier version), SQ (Snapdragon), U (Update), 1 (Bootloader version), A (Build 10), T (2020), G (July), M (22nd build)
How to enter Download Mode:
Turn off the device.
Connect USB cable to your PC (Leave it disconnected from the phone)
Press and hold down the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons. While they are still pressed, plug in the USB cable into your phone.
The phone will go into download mode press volume up. In Odin you will see that phone is added.
Dirty Flash:
I would only do this if you are having to manually update to the newer firmware and would not do it if you are coming/going to U/U1 or from beta firmware or if you are on an old firmware. I'd also highly recommend doing a back up prior to the doing this
Load these into Odin
BL
AP
CP
HOME_CSC
Do NOT flash CSC or USERDATA, either of these WILL wipe your device
This is a "dirty flash" and these can sometimes cause issues. Keep in mind if things start going sideways and stuff starts not working right, your first step to a solution will be to wipe the device.
Tips on flashing U1 Firmware:
You will have to wipe, can NOT dirty Flash going between U and U1 firmware
Use the patched ODIN linked in post #2 or #3, Odin3_v3.13.3b (They are exactly the same)
Have an active US Carrier SIM installed to get carrier features
If you get your CSC Stuck on XAA/XAA/(Insert your carrier here), and can not get Carrier options back.
PIT files
https://ihax.io/samsung-pit-files-explained

plus_rlus said:
I know my questions are stupid, but I'm impasse. It seems that there is much less information about designing for mobile devices than PCs. Could you link some articles on this? As the last article I read this, but it didn't help much, because I compare too much what I learned on PCs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The are no stupid questions.
Questions are asked when we do not understand something and want to learn.
There is nothing wrong or negative about asking questions.
Questions are a part of how we learn.
Cheers.

plus_rlus said:
<SNIP>
What kind of memories and storages are most commonly found in Android devices? One main memory (i.e. RAM)? One Flash memory for firmware (i.e ROM)? Another separate flash drive that acts as mass storage? Possibly SD card and USB stick as external mass storage?
What is firmware on Android devices?
What is the bootloader in (located in MBR part) on Android?
Linux is the kernel used by Android, which is started by the bootloader? After that, Android continues to boot, how?
A pile of terms, which I have ambiguities:
Bootloader; What's it like on Android? It is often characterized as hardware specific. So is it the case that the bootloader in Android is firmware? So in Android, the firmware runs the tasks of the PC world BIOS and bootloader (located in the MBR part), and then starts the Android located on the mass storage?
Recovery; What is this technically?
Android ROM; I can't understand this. As far as I know, Android is an operating system located mass storage, not Read-Only-Memory firmware.
Rooting; On a PC, we are used to the fact that the owner of the device has root rights. Is it just that the manufacturers have decided to set the default root password to some generated random string, and by default, the user only has access to the basic user account?
After the above has been answered, I would like someone to explain to me (separately) technically, starting from the hardware level (where and how), how do Android devices booting and work? Links to additional information are also welcome. hank you very much! If anyone can answer my questions, thank you very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware is the hardware specific drivers, library files and other resources that are supplied by the manufacture(s) and are chipset specific.
The firmware is proprietary and normally closed source. Basically the parts that make the hardware work.
The bootloader is what actually boots the device.
This is supplied by the device manufacture(s) and is device specific.
It is separate from the system.
Recovery is a mini Android environment.
- Factory (Stock) recoveries are restricted to the user but have unrestricted (root) access to the device.
- Custom recoveries (TWRP, OrangeFox, ..) allow the user unrestricted (root) access to the device.
Android ROM (rom) is the actual system (OS) and normally you would include the version that you are running.
Stock roms - Google 12L, AOSP xx, OOS 12, MIUI xx, ColorOS xx, ...
Custom roms - Lineage 19.1, crDroid 12.1, AospExtended 12.1, ...
In computer terms it would be..
Windows 7, Linux (Fedora 34), MacOS Monterey.I am not sure what the current versions of MIUI and ColorOS are, hence the xx.
Once the bootloader boots the device, a few things can happen.
- The system boot image (system kernel) takes over and boots the device into system (rom).
- The recovery boot image (recovery kernel) takes over and boots the device into recovery (mini Android environment).
- If system fails to boot, device reboots into recovery (Recovery Party) if recovery can boot.
- If no boot image takes over, you will stay in the bootloader, reboot into some special mode or just a good old fashion boot-loop.
There have been a lot of changes to Android though the years..
Each device, manufacture, Android version.. can be different from another.
The most common bootloader is (or supports) fastboot but, this is manufacture and device specific.
Not to be confused with fastboot_d (new story that started with Android 10/11?).This has also changed though the years, some manufacture use their own variation of bootloader.
HTC had H-BOOT, Samsung does their own thing along with some other manufactures.
Rooting....
By default the substitute (switch) user su command is removed from Android.
This is what most refer to as superuser since it defaults to root user if you do not specify a substitute user.
This has been a long and changing story in the Android world also.
Old but, well worth the read.
How-To SU - [chainfire.eu] - Link
The current most popular used root solution is Magisk.
It is a little more than just su. Magisk - [GitHub] - Link
---
It might be easier if you see an actual partition table.
Nexus 7 16 Gig WiFi - [PastBin] - Link
Might as well make it an ... interesting one.
In this example, userdata only has 1.2 Gigs since the rest is used by other partitions.
userdata is mounted as /sdcard.
Save for boot, cache, system, misc, recovery and userdata.
The other partitions would be considered firmware.
When the device boots, the partitions get mounted to /dev/block.
Hope it helps more than confuse.
Cheers.

Database Info

welcome