Android Help

[RustyShackleford]

Hey guys so I was trying to dualboot ubuntu on my android tablet and I ran into some problems. I'm not sure how to undo what I did because the uninstall directions don't make grammatical sense and I don't know enough about android to prod for more information. Zoklet had some resident android experts, I'm hoping someone can help me. Its not bricked or anything just not sure what to do.

Reinstall your Android distributive or kernel part of it (this is replaces bootimage with multiboot)

So I re-flashed the CROMI-X rom, did this accomplish the quoted task?

And then can I use abd to manipulate the file system, I swear there was something similar to abd but more powerful I forget the name of it though.

[zok jr.]

Hmm I know quite a bit about fooling around with android but never attempted to run Ubuntu on one. Sorry I can't be more help.

[RustyShackleford]

Hmm I know quite a bit about fooling around with android but never attempted to run Ubuntu on one. Sorry I can't be more help.

That's alright I don't expect anyone here to know those specifics, but can you make sense of the quoted instruction? I need to reinstall the kernel is all I can gather from it. Its just not an english sentence no idea what distributive part is or what the "it" is referring to. Do you think flashing a rom will also reinstall the kernel?

Then step 2 is just deleting some files, which I could technically do from android, but it doesn't boot. I can try from the computer, but whats that thing that is like abd but better. iirc the screen is all black but you have a connection to the computer, very similar to abd, but different name.

[zok jr.]

I think its just telling you to reinstall your kernal with recovery so you can access the files on the tablet through clockwork mod or twrp or w/e.
I don't know of any program thats like abd but more powerful sorry can't help you there.

[RustyShackleford]

I think its just telling you to reinstall your kernal with recovery so you can access the files on the tablet through clockwork mod or twrp or w/e.

Aren't CWM and TWRP just recoveries? I have access to CWM and always have. A quick search tells me that flashing a custom rom will also flash the stock kernel - so I think I'm all set there.

I don't know of any program thats like abd but more powerful sorry can't help you there.

I was thinking of apx mode - from the last time I did any of this stuff I made the nvflash backups that supposedly make it unbrickable. I still tread like I'm defusing a bomb though.

Ok so I guess I'm on the right track.

[RustyShackleford]

I guess what I really want to know is how can I totally reset it. "wipe data/factory reset" did not do this for me. If I mount /sdcard I can "format /data and /data/media (/sdcard)" will this wipe everything, without leaving my shit bricked?

[aldra]

it's indicating you need to reinstall your bootloader... I haven't been dicking around with android much lately, but I believe you need to reflash in a similar fashion to this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1752270


I'm not sure what your exact problem is, but I assume it's not booting into the OS correctly, so reflashing the boot.img makes sense.

[RustyShackleford]

it's indicating you need to reinstall your bootloader... I haven't been dicking around with android much lately, but I believe you need to reflash in a similar fashion to this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1752270


I'm not sure what your exact problem is, but I assume it's not booting into the OS correctly, so reflashing the boot.img makes sense.

Yeah so I was a dumb ass and was reading an old thread for installing linux and trying to flash a rom not meant for my device. I ended up flashing both the bootloader and recovery (from one zip) and rom. Followed the recent linux thread and got the shit working. Gnarly as fuck. Just need to work out some kinks. I'm using lubuntu, not sure if its possible to get ubuntu touch on it. Haven't seen it referenced, but it means I need to use the keyboard dock, slightly limiting.

[HampTheToker]

What kind of device is it? That info is always pertinent. Some devices have locked bootloaders and others don't. Some roms include a kernel (boot.img) and others don't. Some require a patch for the kernel and others don't.

It's always a good idea to be more specific about what you're using and what you did or didn't do when troubleshooting problems like this. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that one of the easiest ways to hard brick a device is by flashing the wrong recovery. If it's too big for the partition you're writing it to then it'll definitely hard brick. Next time just be more careful because you got pretty lucky this time.

[Riv3r]

do you have a recovery manager?

[HampTheToker]

Oh, and the quoted text in the OP means to reflash your rom (or Linux distro in this case) or just the kernel. Not sure about the second part. Sounds like it means that it will replace your current kernel with a multiboot patched kernel.

Every multiboot solution that I've seen requires patching each kernel for each rom because each one boots from a different location and/or partition. Failing to do so would result in a soft brick.

[RustyShackleford]

What kind of device is it? That info is always pertinent. Some devices have locked bootloaders and others don't. Some roms include a kernel (boot.img) and others don't. Some require a patch for the kernel and others don't.

It's always a good idea to be more specific about what you're using and what you did or didn't do when troubleshooting problems like this. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that one of the easiest ways to hard brick a device is by flashing the wrong recovery. If it's too big for the partition you're writing it to then it'll definitely hard brick. Next time just be more careful because you got pretty lucky this time.

You'll see above I resolved the problem. Heh I was also mentally prepared to lose the device before starting. Anyway, since this shit confuses the hell out of me: I did some nvflash/wheelie backups that claim to make the device unbrickable. Would this be true even in the scenario you described of flashing the wrong recovery? I have a device with a tegra 3 chip, and apparently since apx access is from the tegra chip it can always be recovered. Still like I said, this is quite foreign to me, maybe hard brick doesn't have apx access? Didn't include the device because I left the question intentionally generic, posted over in xda as well.

Recovery manager was CWM I then flashed TWRP and then flashed CROMI. To install linux it was just running a script  - kexecboot something. Honestly not sure how exactly it worked. Just decided fuck it I want linux enough that I'll risk losing my device.

[aldra]

I believe you can re-flash recovery even if you 'brick' your device by way of writing an invalid boot image, so you should be ok

last I checked a few months ago, ARM ubuntu worked nicely but the multitouch drivers were still in beta. they should be relatively stable by now

[RustyShackleford]

I believe you can re-flash recovery even if you 'brick' your device by way of writing an invalid boot image, so you should be ok

last I checked a few months ago, ARM ubuntu worked nicely but the multitouch drivers were still in beta. they should be relatively stable by now

Like I said its is fixed now. It was never bricked I always had access to the recovery. I'm just paranoid that it might happen. Even though I did stuff to make it "unbrickable" I don't really know how this stuff works. The more I do the less anxious I get while flashing things, I almost want to intentionally brick something and try to recover. Mostly I just wish it was as easy as installing an os to a pc. The fuck can't it be that simple?

Edit: Oh yeah and ubuntu works awesome. I just can't resume from a suspend (it will immediately resuspend), which is annoying.  I guess ubuntu touch is still in infancy, that shit would be great and I would leave android in a heartbeat once things like on screen keyboard, gps, rotation, etc. get worked.