[FLASHER] [v1.3 - 2014-07-07] FlashCast: Quickly and easily mod your Chromecast

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Bright09

Senior Member
Mar 7, 2013
553
39
Nexus 7 (2013)
OnePlus One
Not to ask, but any one working on the Chromecast audio or is it possible to maybe develop for it custom firmware or like offline enable the Bluetooth as well or is it pretty locked down

Also do I need teenys board to root my gen 1 I haven't used it for a few years since I upgraded to a nexus player

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
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Wire1122

Senior Member
Jun 18, 2016
342
28
My firmware version is 1.26.92486
My SN is 7114103OE0OM
It is rootable? How can I know Is It rootable?
 
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goulks

New member
Dec 8, 2017
2
0
Hello. I bought Cromekast 2 a few days ago. Once I connected to the router and updated the device did not work. There is a chance I can make it work with flashcast?
 

Johan1976

Senior Member
Jul 12, 2011
354
47
Hello. I bought Cromekast 2 a few days ago. Once I connected to the router and updated the device did not work. There is a chance I can make it work with flashcast?
No. Flashcast only works on very old chromecast on very old firmware which are rootavld. Gen 2 has never been able to root nor run flashcast.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
 
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jamesking420

Senior Member
Aug 4, 2009
385
39
Hello,

Hoping someone can help.

I have a Chromecast which had Eureka ROM on it. I followed the (REDUNDANT) instructions to flash Flashcast autoroot, and obviously my Chromecast got in trouble as those instructions don't work any more.

Situation I have now is, if I boot with the button held down, I get the black screen with 4 white dots on it.
If I boot without the button held down, I get the blackscreen that says "chromecast..." in white at the bottom .

I have flashed a new USB stick with the flashcast.bin file (v1.3) but when I boot the chromecast with the button held down I still just get the black screen with the 4 white dots.

Any suggestions on what I can do to rescue this chromecast? I just want to go back to stock. :)

Found that this worked:
https://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=72153960

Along with subsequently flashing a stock ROM using a USB stick with flashcast 1.3.
 
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DAE-1

Member
Jan 8, 2008
9
0
Hello every one. I am searching this for the chromecast 2. is there any flash for that so I don't need internet connection on a accespoint? hope somebody can help me with that.
 

Johan1976

Senior Member
Jul 12, 2011
354
47
Hello every one. I am searching this for the chromecast 2. is there any flash for that so I don't need internet connection on a accespoint? hope somebody can help me with that.
Chromecast 2 has never been rootable.
Chromecast 1 is not useable at all with root as it is now since a lot of functions is not available in last rooted firmware.

To be honest root (in my opinion) has never been any advantage. Not much extras that was added except maybe change of dns.

Skickat från min SM-G950F via Tapatalk
 

DAE-1

Member
Jan 8, 2008
9
0
Chromecast 2 has never been rootable.
Chromecast 1 is not useable at all with root as it is now since a lot of functions is not available in last rooted firmware.

To be honest root (in my opinion) has never been any advantage. Not much extras that was added except maybe change of dns.

Skickat från min SM-G950F via Tapatalk

Thanks for your fast reply. I need cast system that can work local and can connect with a accespoint without any internet connection. I found that the chromcast 2 always need internet connection what is really strange? so I was seatching for a diffrent firmware so it doesn't need any internet connection. But to hear from you it doesn't make sense to buy also the first chromecast with a firmware flash. I saw the easycast will this fix my problem to use locale use and doesn't need internet connection?
 

Johan1976

Senior Member
Jul 12, 2011
354
47
Thanks for your fast reply. I need cast system that can work local and can connect with a accespoint without any internet connection. I found that the chromcast 2 always need internet connection what is really strange? so I was seatching for a diffrent firmware so it doesn't need any internet connection. But to hear from you it doesn't make sense to buy also the first chromecast with a firmware flash. I saw the easycast will this fix my problem to use locale use and doesn't need internet connection?
Chromecast is built and has always been relying on internet connection. Not sure about easycast.

Skickat från min SM-G950F via Tapatalk
 

mobileman88

Senior Member
Oct 27, 2008
2,293
427
Hi, my old Chromecast which was recently located in my storeroom was rooted previously with Flashcast. Upon powering it up and linking to my Google Home app, it started updating and then rebooted. It's stuck in the screen which says "Chromecast..." .while the LED is solid white. I also tried pressing the button when powering up, it then says has only a few pixels of static on the screen and nothing happens with Red flashing light. Sometimes it will boot into the Eureka screen with the LED flashing red. Can anyone help?
 

Johan1976

Senior Member
Jul 12, 2011
354
47
Mines doing the same mobileman, you had any luck?
Rooted chromecast can no longer update.
You need to flash old rooted eureka rom that doesn't update.

But this old one is so outdated that there will be a lot of compatibility issues.

I have updated most of mine and removed root.
Have one old rooted unit in a drawer but I guess I never have any use for it.

Skickat från min SM-G950F via Tapatalk
 

mobileman88

Senior Member
Oct 27, 2008
2,293
427
Rooted chromecast can no longer update.
You need to flash old rooted eureka rom that doesn't update.

But this old one is so outdated that there will be a lot of compatibility issues.

I have updated most of mine and removed root.
Have one old rooted unit in a drawer but I guess I never have any use for it.

Skickat från min SM-G950F via Tapatalk
Would like to get back to full stock.
 
Would like to get back to full stock.

To go back to Stock:

Install FlashCast 1.3 to your usb stick, boot the chromecast and let it install, wait for it to reboot.
Remove the USB, and put in a PC.
Download the following image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dsgixdn3cu1r04q/backtostock_chromecast_image_pemanent_root_block.zip?dl=0
Rename that to eureka_image.zip and put it on the USB stick
Reboot back to flashcast again with this stick in.
This will flash a very old version of the stock soaftware. Set it up through the Google Home app, and wait for it to update to the latest. ]


You will be back on stock, with no possibility of going back.

Ive just done this 2 minutes ago.. no problems.
 

bhiga

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Oct 13, 2010
2,501
1,018
hey, i apologize if i haven't searched enough i guess, but still

my firmware is 1.42. ""172094"" but it has and are currently connected to the internet, so even if the fw is rootable im still ****ed ??
Sorry, 172094 is well past 19084 - looks like it's been updating itself along the way, as would be expected.

[FAQ] Root Mini-FAQ: What's the big deal with root? and other links in my signature for more info.

There isn't much point to root these days, but if you really want to play with a rooted Chromecast, send me a PM.
 

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    VaHvwVY.png


    What is it?

    FlashCast is a USB image that provides a standardized way to mod your Chromecast. Think of it like a recovery which runs off of a USB drive. No more struggling with the limitations of the GTVHacker image, which is hard to modify and can only flash the /system partition. FlashCast is based on shell scripts, so it you can use it to do anything you can do with a root shell. It also comes with a comprehensive suite of helper functions, so many tasks actually become much easier than they would be using a regular shell.

    How do I use it?

    If you prefer to follow a video tutorial, @ddggttff3 has made one here. Otherwise, read on for written instructions.

    Preparation

    Before you begin, you'll need some materials:
    • A Chromecast with a vulnerable bootloader. (For the bootloader to be vulnerable, the Chromecast must have never been connected to the internet and have a rootable serial number.)
    • The latest version of FlashCast (the download link is at the bottom of this post).
    • A USB drive (minimum size 256MB) which you are willing to have erased.
    • A powered Micro-USB OTG cable such as this one. (Alternatively, an unpowered USB hub and unpowered OTG cable can be used as shown here. I have not tested this method and cannot help you if your USB drive is not detected.)

    Installation

    Once you've gathered everything required, you can install FlashCast to your USB drive. To do so, you need to write the .bin file contained in the FlashCast .zip file you've downloaded to your drive. Simply using a file explorer to drag the .bin file to your USB drive is not correct and will not work. The specifics of doing a low-level write differ depending on OS, but, in general, Linux and OS X users should use dd and Windows users should use Win32DiskImager. This operation will erase your flash drive.

    After you've written the .bin file to your USB drive, your computer will no longer recognize a filesystem on it. This is normal. In order for FlashCast to set up the drive's filesystem, you need to boot your Chromecast from the drive. To do this, perform the following steps:
    1. Connect the male end of your Micro-USB OTG cable to your Chromecast.
    2. Plug your USB drive into the USB-A female connector of the OTG cable.
    3. Simultaneously hold the button on your Chromecast and connect the Micro-USB power connector to the female Micro-USB port of the OTG cable.
    The power must be connected last. If it is not, your Chromecast may fail to detect the USB drive and boot up normally. If this happens, simply repeat the process, making sure to perform the steps in the correct order.

    If FlashCast was copied correctly, you will see a red light on your Chromecast for approximately 9 seconds. It will then turn white and your TV will display a screen containing the FlashCast logo (shown at the top of this post) and various instructions. Once you see this screen, you may release the button. The screen will appear for another 9 seconds or so, after which your Chromecast will reboot on its own to the stock image. After it has rebooted (you may disconnect the power when it starts to boot into the stock image if you're worried about it updating), FlashCast is installed on your USB drive and ready for use. Your device is NOT rooted at this point and can still be updated by Google. To root, you need to flash a mod such as Team Eureka's Eureka-ROM. When you plug the drive into your computer, it should appear as an empty drive which you can copy files to.

    Usage

    FlashCast-compatible mods are distributed as .zip files. To flash a mod, simply copy it to the USB drive with the name eureka_image.zip. Do NOT use dd as you did in the previous section. If you do, you will have to repeat the whole process. Instead, just copy it onto the drive's filesystem as you would any other file. FlashCast is also capable of flashing a GTVHacker-style raw system image; if there are no native FlashCast mods present and the system image is in a file called Chromecast-Rooted-System-GTVHacker-cj_000-July27-635PM.bin, it will be flashed. This method of flashing is very inflexible and is not recommended.

    How do I develop for it?

    If you are interested in creating mods for FlashCast, please see the developer thread.

    Who made it?

    FlashCast is based on a generic Buildroot Linux image. Its mod framework was written entirely by me, but I couldn't have done it without the help of various individuals. Thanks, @cj_000, for helping me and putting up with my stupid questions in IRC. And thank you, @tvall, for releasing your update-free images so promptly up until now. Without those, FlashCast would have a much smaller potential user base.

    Where do I get it?

    Downloads and source code are available at FlashCast's GitHub repository. The latest version is currently v1.3.
    10
    How do I know if I have A Chromecast with a vulnerable bootloader ?

    The initial software which the Chromecast shipped with, build 12072, had a vulnerable bootloader. In all following software versions (12840, 12940, and 13300), the vulnerability is patched and FlashCast can't be used. If your Chromecast has been allowed to access the internet, it will have updated itself and will not be vulnerable. If you have not set up your Chromecast and it still has the software from the factory, it may or may not be vulnerable, depending on when you bought it. To check, you can plug it in (but not set it up), and check its "Build" in the Chromecast app. Alternatively, you can simply try to boot FlashCast on it. If it's patched, nothing bad will happen; the USB drive will simply fail to boot.
    5
    The problem is Windows' poor handling of flash drive partitions. @ddggttff3 figured out how to force Windows to reformat a FlashCast drive from the command line the other day. When he wakes up tomorrow, I'll see if I can get him to post instructions. Sorry for the inconvenience.

    Have a Tutorial Video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRsUuiuWQMM

    Not my best work, but was somewhat rushed. Hope that's OK.

    Commands Used in CMD:
    Code:
    diskpart
    list disk
    select disk * (where * is your jump drive disk number)
    clean
    convert mbr
    create partition primary

    Like I said in the video, make sure you select the drive letter of your jump drive! If you select the wrong disk you can accidentally wipe all of the data from your computer. Me, XDA, and team eureka are NOT responsible for any data loss.
    5
    I have just released FlashCast version 1.1. A changelog and downloads are available on GitHub here.
    5
    So by using this, OTA updates would no longer be pushed to the device and you wouldn't get new features/fixes, correct?

    If so, how does one keep root and still get the latest updates?

    This is just a flashing tool, so all of your questions depend on the ROM you flash. If you flash the 13300 package I made, it will disable updates and enable telnet/adb. If you want updates in the future, just wait for me,or someone else to release a new image once a new update rolls out.

    So does this mean it will be possible to get at the hard-coded Google DNS server in the Chromecast for those of us wanting better Netflix outside of the US?

    Yes, it means you can change the DNS server chromecast uses. I actually plan on making a flashable zip to do just that in the next few days.

    EDIT: Posted the flashable zip in its own thread. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2455888