[Q] New info (in OP bold txt), can you answer? - Power on/Reboot goes into APX mode

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wha2do

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2012
95
14
New Orleans
Sorry, other post is a bit hard to read, was trying to see if upgrading my TF300t (unlocked, rooted, nvflash run) to v9.4.3.30 would fix it - which unfortunately didn't.

I'm having issues resolving powering up and reboots automatically going into APX mode. Plus lost my icons (fastboot, wipe, ? ) when powering up w/vol down
button. Only have choice of Recovery or let it cold-boot into ICS. The original help post for added details is at:

Original post with more details


I'm thinking the AndroidRoot booloader I've been running from when I originally created my nvflash backups got corrupted. The update (via Install Zip in TWRP) does
not seem to have updated the bootloader. In reading even more posts, another user shows:

The Device is UnLocked
Android cardhu-user bootloader <2.10 e> released by "US_epad-9.4.3.30-20120604" A03
Checking for android ota recovery

I see the exact same except my version is "WW_epad-9.4.3.30-20120604", which makes me think the bootloader isn't getting updated correctly & is still the original AndroidRoot
version which became corrupted? I also double checked the new EBT blob I'm flashing via a hex editor and it shows it has a US SKU! So does that mean nvflash isn't truly
flashing it? If not, how can I get it to take either with nvflash, ADB, or TWRP?


Also can see (lack of) progress below *sigh*
 
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wha2do

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2012
95
14
New Orleans
Sorry, other post is a bit hard to read, was trying to see if upgrading to v9.4.3.30 would fix it - which unfortunately it didn't.

I'm having issues resolving powering up and reboots automatically going into APX mode. Plus lost my icons (fastboot, wipe, ? ) when powering up w/vol down
button. Only have choice of Recovery or let it cold-boot into ICS. The original help post is at:

Original post with more details

See (lack of) progress below.

Well, still need some suggestions/help. I've run:

nvflash -r --download 4 blob.EBT
nvflash -r --download 10 blob.APP
nvflash -r --download 6 blob.LNX
nvflash -r --download 5 twrp2.5.0.0.img

Didn't do anything to fix the APX issue nor get my fastboot icon back. I'm wondering if I should try using
the bricksafe.img file I'd created before - not sure what exactly it contains and if it would be any different.

At this point I'm days away from seeing if I can return the tablet (under a 2 year warranty plan - thought it
was said if they can't fix, get my money back rather than a replacement) and look at something else.

I've read and read and not found anything useful yet and not much on the nvflash backup file use for restoring...

Help! :eek:
 
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f69m

Senior Member
Feb 24, 2013
511
409
Munich
You could try erasing the misc partition.
I think this this is the right command, but you might have to check the exact command syntax (don't have nvflash handy right now):
nvflash -r --format_partition 3

Sent from my TF300T using Tapatalk
 

wha2do

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2012
95
14
New Orleans
You could try erasing the misc partition.
I think this this is the right command, but you might have to check the exact command syntax (don't have nvflash handy right now):
nvflash -r --format_partition 3

Sent from my TF300T using Tapatalk

Thx & that's the correct syntax, but what is nvflash's partition 3 (misc)? And is this nvflash PartitionId 3 or adb's mount point /dev/block/mmcblk0p3? In
nvflash's partition table list, MSC (assuming this is the same "misc" partition) is listed as PartitionId 12...

When I do a list of partition tables from nvflash, it shows this as type Partition_table and named PT. I did install the Partition Table app
and see where 3 may be coming from, as in the mount point /mmcblk0p3, labelled as MSC?

Looking at other known nvflash/Partition table comparisons, one nvflashes blob.APP (system) to partition 10 yet the Partition Table app
shows /system, labelled as APP mounted on /mmcblk0p1. And with blob.SOS, nvflash sends it to 5 yet the adb command uses /mmcblk0p4...

I maybe interpreting these all wrong and it's ok - just being very cautious about formatting a partition and what effect it will have... Thanks in advance for clarification!
 
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f69m

Senior Member
Feb 24, 2013
511
409
Munich
Thx & that's the correct syntax, but what is nvflash's partition 3 (misc)? And is this nvflash partition 3 or adb's mount point /dev/block/mmcblk0p3?

When I do a list of partition tables from nvflash, it shows this as type Partition_table and named PT. I did install the Partition Table app
and see where 3 may be coming from, as in the mount point /mmcblk0p3, labelled as MSC?

Looking at other known nvflash/Partition table comparisons, one nvflashes blob.APP (system) to partition 10 yet the Partition Table app
shows /system, labelled as APP mounted on /mmcblk0p1. And with blob.SOS, nvflash sends it to 5 yet the adb command uses /mmcblk0p4...

I maybe interpreting these all wrong and it's ok - just being very cautious about formatting a partition and what effect it will have... Thanks in advance for clarification!
Sorry, my bad, haven't really used nvflash much. Just assumed it would be the same numbers. :/
Yes, I mean the MSC or misc partition /dev/block/mmcblk0p3.
It holds commands for the bootloader, for eaxample "recovery", etc. Cleaning it might make your bootloader behave. Might. ;)

Sent from my TF300T using Tapatalk
 

wha2do

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2012
95
14
New Orleans
Sorry, my bad, haven't really used nvflash much. Just assumed it would be the same numbers. :/
Yes, I mean the MSC or misc partition /dev/block/mmcblk0p3.
It holds commands for the bootloader, for eaxample "recovery", etc. Cleaning it might make your bootloader behave. Might. ;)

Sent from my TF300T using Tapatalk

No problem at all, I appreciate the help and I just always try to be cautious! Just to be doubly sure, here's the excerpt from
getting the partition table info from nvflash earlier today:

PartitionId=12
Name=MSC
DeviceId=18
StartSector=317568
NumSectors=512
BytesPerSector=4096

So doing the nvflash -r --format_partition 12 command should be safe. Wondering, does it make sense to do this first:

nvflash --resume --rawdeviceread 317568 512 msc.img

Should back up what's there if need it afterwards...again being safe, lol!
 

f69m

Senior Member
Feb 24, 2013
511
409
Munich
No problem at all, I appreciate the help and I just always try to be cautious! Just to be doubly sure, here's the excerpt from
getting the partition table info from nvflash earlier today:

PartitionId=12
Name=MSC
DeviceId=18
StartSector=317568
NumSectors=512
BytesPerSector=4096

So doing the nvflash -r --format_partition 12 command should be safe. Wondering, does it make sense to do this first:

nvflash --resume --rawdeviceread 317568 512 msc.img

Should back up what's there if need it afterwards...again being safe, lol!
Yes, this looks like the right one. Unfortunately /proc/partitions does not give a start sector, but the name MSC matches. /proc/partitions gives the size at 2048, but that should be 1K blocks, so maching the 512 4K-blocks shown by nvflash.

Yeah, should be save to erase, but being careful and having a backup never hurts. Might even be interesting to have a glance at the contents.

Sent from my TF300T using Tapatalk
 

wha2do

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2012
95
14
New Orleans
Well, I think if indeed the bootloader is corrupted I've found my flashes of a new one aren't taking. I tried nvflashing blob.EBT, blob.SOS, blob.LNX, and then blob.APP from the stock v9.4.3.30
update (all in same nvflash session) and all listed as successful. The rest did take...but wasn't sure about blob.EBT. I expected to see the US_epad version (and I've checked the blobs
with a hex editor and they indeed have the US SKU).

I ended up sideloading v9.4.3.17 in TWRP and saw the bootloader version stayed the same (WW_epad-v9.4.3.30). With a stock recovery back in place, I tried to see if I could take an OTA
back to v9.4.3.30, but said no updates were available. Ended up sideloading v9.4.3.30 and am back to where I was...

I also let the tablet battery run down completely, charged fully over night hoping something might "reset", but no go...

Last thing I'll be trying later is a factory reset via TWRP (read try doing it three times to be sure) and reload v9.4.3.30. If not, looks like I have two options: 1) try the reformat of the MSC partition
and/or do an nvflash rawdevicewrite of the bricksafe.img file. Just worried with both that it'll create more issues (being very careful since at least I can still get into APX, ADB, and ultimately boot up).

Any recommendations/suggestions on how to get blob.EBT to flash successfully or which step to try next? Please, please, please...lol!
 

wha2do

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2012
95
14
New Orleans
I tried doing a factory reset. Probably overkill, but also wiped cache, Dalvik, and data while in TWRP. Then booted up, skipped set up, and did this two more times. Didn't have any effect,
so I tried sideloading v9.4.3.30 and same old story...

I finally quit and restored my nandroid made prior to the factory resets and now have to decide:

Try the format of the MSC partition or nvflash bricksafe.img. Again just being very cautious since while tedious, I can still use my tablet by restarting via nvflash.

Wish I could get advice from one of the AndroidRoot members!!

Any ideas/recommendations at this point?
 
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