[Q] My tablet is completely f***ed

I already had a problem where I was stuck in a bootloop and was told to flash the stock image (see here for previous issue : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2783631 ). I did this and tried it with the Nexus root toolkit with no wipe mode enabled and when I tried turning on the nexus I get this very annoying looping screen which shows the word google in the middle and the green start button at the top pointing towards the power button. every time I press the power button the green sign reapears and nothing happens. when I do this from the fastboot screen (using cmd on PC) I see a little message in the upper left corner saying "booting failed". I cannot seem to get the adb working at all which is a real problem and I am not sure if this tablet is reparable but I need someones help urgently http://xdaforums.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

I just tried that

deltatux said:

Have you tried to flash the stock Android images using fastboot?

Note: Following command WILL WIPE your device.

Code:

fastboot -w update image-nakasi-ktu84p.zip

For Nexus 7 (2012 WiFi): https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasiktu84p
For Nexus 7 (2012 3G): https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasigktu84p

deltatux

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I tried what you said and when I entered the code in the cmd I got the following

"archive does not contain 'boot.sig'
archive does not contain 'recovery.sig'
archive does not contain 'system.sig'
< waiting for device >" (without quotes)

and it just hangs here. Any idea what the problem is?

deltatux said:

Have you tried to flash the stock Android images using fastboot?

Note: Following command WILL WIPE your device.

Code:

fastboot -w update image-nakasi-ktu84p.zip

For Nexus 7 (2012 WiFi): https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasiktu84p
For Nexus 7 (2012 3G): https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasigktu84p

deltatux

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for some reason whenever I try to execute your code I get

"archive does not contain 'boot.sig'
archive does not contain 'recovery.sig'
archive does not contain 'system.sig'
< waiting for device >" (without quotes)
and it just hangs there

I appear to have bricked my nexus 7 as the tablet is not starting at all and I can recall that at some stage I accidentally used the fastboot command "fastboot erase bootloader" (not sure if it actually did that)
any ideas how to reverse this?

BTW in device manager the tablet shows up as UNKNOWN Device

That is so annoying

I was trying to flash another bootloader called ("bootloader-grouper-4.23.img") but I think some error occurred in the command prompt and I am very surprised it actually let me do that unknowingly.

Is there another boot loader inside the nexus 7 that allows this procedure of swapping bootloaders to take place or is there any kind of hard reset button inside the nexus (I don't care what happens to my data on it)

deltatux said:

If you erased the bootloader without flashing another one back in, you just bricked your device. The only course of action to save it is to do an nvflash but that would have required you to back up the nvflash blob before this incident. If all else fails, your tablet's a dud.

I would recommend either replacing your entire tablet or buy a replacement board on eBay and replace the motherboard yourself and then it will run like new.

deltatux

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how on earth are you meant to use the nvflash software and does it definitely require a blob file.
BTW I do seem to recall that I saw a "writing to bootloader message" in cmd before it became inoprable. does that mean there is any better chance of this thing being revived?

cant believe this

deltatux said:

nvflash is meant to be a debugging software as an absolute last resort to restore a Tegra based device. More on nvflash here:
http://xdaforums.com/wiki/Nvflash

The blobs are tied to your device because nvflash works pretty much at hardware level, so without your own blobs, it's nearly impossible to recover. Here's the procedure to extract the blob before brick: http://www.xda-developers.com/andro...nexus-7-and-other-asus-tablets-with-flatline/

As for "writing to bootloader", if you can't access the bootloader now, it may be because you flashed the wrong bootloader (likely from the 3G variant of the Nexus 7 instead of WiFi-only or vice versa). Unless you can somehow gain access to fastboot, you'll need to recover via nvflash.

Without the blobs backed up, you'll probably be better off replacing the Nexus 7 motherboard with a working OS and all.

deltatux

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are you people seriously saying that one command sent electronically through a wire can physically break a device to the extent that it is 100% impossible to repair electronically (if there are no blob files made in advance to preform a recovery). It just makes me wonder how could such a command exist (who on earth would use it). as fer as replacing the motherboard is concerned my n7 is a 32 gb meaning it will be hard to find an affordable replacement.

BTW I am pretty sure the bootloader was for the wifi version (my n7 is wifi) and I am also suspicious that the nexus toolkit had bricked my tablet because I tried the temporary boot feature and I saw in the corner something like "downloading bootloader img". At some other point in time I used the dreaded command (either before or after). I cant remember which one of these these operations had caused the brick because it was only later I noticed the tablet was in a Sleep of Death http://xdaforums.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

thanks for the advice anyway

Just a potential fix proposition

deltatux said:

Have you tried to flash the stock Android images using fastboot?

Note: Following command WILL WIPE your device.

Code:

fastboot -w update image-nakasi-ktu84p.zip

For Nexus 7 (2012 WiFi): https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasiktu84p
For Nexus 7 (2012 3G): https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasigktu84p

deltatux

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

deltatux said:

If you erased the bootloader without flashing another one back in, you just bricked your device. The only course of action to save it is to do an nvflash but that would have required you to back up the nvflash blob before this incident. If all else fails, your tablet's a dud.

I would recommend either replacing your entire tablet or buy a replacement board on eBay and replace the motherboard yourself and then it will run like new.

deltatux

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Erovia said:

If you entered that command, your device is hardbricked and the only thing you can do about is to send it to Asus/Google for RMA.

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Click to collapse

guys I have managed to get my nexus 7 into APX mode by pressing the buttons on the side however I am not sure where to go from here. Every time I try to update driver in device manager I get the error "There is no driver selected for the device information set or element" and as a result cannot update it to the asus apx mode interface thing that nvflash provided. if there is any other possible course of action I can take from here that does not involve physical repair then please do let me know after all I Only plan to replace the motherboard as a last resort option

hold on a minute

I thought NVFlash could somehow be used to flash a completely new bootloader with a 'new' crypto-signature as that is the sort of thing that can be achieved with the nexus 5 and various other non Tegra 3 devices. What is the big deal with the n7 and besides how can you expect anyone to use a system like that (blobing in advance) when perhaps 90% (or more) of people who run into this problem have never herd of such a system and would then be completely SOL.

Also is there any way in which one could get hold of the internal SD card practically so it can be taken out and surgically re-implanted into the new motherboard or vice-versa with the bootloader to prevent me from having to purchase another 32GB logicboard (such a waste).

nihil sleighride said:

Could someone confirm if my assumptions are correct?

Mine is stuck in APX mode therefore if I send it to ASUS to repair my data will lost? If the motherboard is replaced my data is lost? In its current state my data on it is unrecoverable?

Just wondering if it's safe to sell for spares, seeing that I've got no way to wipe it.

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Oh and yes all data will be lost if they replace the motherboard as they will throw away the old one or re-use it and re-solder etc. However if you're lucky they will use special tools to flash the software back into the main board although this is almost guaranteed to format everything on the internal SD unless you can detach it somehow beforehand (still waiting on an answer for that one) or ask the data recovery people to rescue the data when you get it back (that's only if they did not throw it away) or even tell the asus repair service not to delete the data if possible. The main issue is when you flash a tablet or phone you will be re-installing the operating system and the internal SD is part of that operating system so there is almost no way to save the data on it in just a soft-bricked state never mind a hard-bricked one.

And yes most of your assumptions would match that of my own right now. having said the above there is probably no way an end user could get data off it if you sold it as a spare because there would be no way to access it unless they managed to escape the apx mode and used some kind of file recovery program via the adb which is why I do then again say don't give up hope just yet (I am not an expert)

BTW how did you get into APX mode because if you did what I did (erased the bootloader via fastboot) then you are as of now SOL (awaiting further confirmation of that) whilst on the other hand if it was a charging issue or anything else then I would not recommend any of the above suggestions. There are numerous stories of people being stuck in apx mode and got out again after some time and if you did not modify your tablet before this happened then all your data will still be their

there seems to be too many APX 'ed devices right now and I just wonder what Google must be thinking about this and if they will do something or not

Guys have any of you seen this

This is a known story of a guy who actually managed to escape the SOL situation we are all in (bricked by entering "fastboot erase bootloader" in cmd) and I am not sure why it happened

http://androidforums.com/nexus-7-ge...icked-bootloader-erased-help.html#post5289634

post number 15 by rootbrain

does this mean the n7 2012 has a backup mechanism of some sort or did he just install his own on the bootloader? http://xdaforums.com/images/smilies/fingers-crossed.gif