ASUS JellyBean 4.2.1 updates - a warning

sbdags · Mar 23, 2013

Now I have your attention.

Yeah, I have no idea when it will be released but I thought I would just post a heads up on what has been going on over with the TF300 guys.

There are a lot of people who have now hard bricked their devices (probably 10 to 20 reported cases).

The issue is around the way Asus have implemented their latest boot loader - they seem to have changed the type of partitions it wants to use. I don't understand the full technical details but if you upgrade with the wrong combination of custom recovery it seems very easy to brick the device.

If you are unlocked and are not on TWRP 2.4.4.0 and don't flash a full ASUS STOCK FIRMWARE first it seems this is the most likely cause.

So for every one who is unlocked:

1. Don't try to flash OTA updates under any circumstances - this is the fastest way to hard brick. Noone has recovered from this

2. Make sure you are on TWRP 2.4.4.0 before updating and that includes flashing the FULL ASUS FIRMWARE hosted on their site. CWM is not supported currently.

3. Do not flash just a bootloader blob file from recovery until it can be confirmed it is safe to do so.

Anyway - no news from Asus yet but hopefully enough people will read this so we don't end up like the unfortunate TF300 crowd who have more bricked devices appearing every day as people don't read and think they can just update as they have been used to doing in the past.

BTW there is difficulty downgrading from 4.2.1 to 4.1.1 although one user has successfully done it - it seems very complicated to achieve. I will write it up once we understand it fully.

Please heed the warning folks. (This does not apply to stock locked users who can OTA from 4.1.1 to 4.2.1)

sbdags · Mar 23, 2013

Here is some info from PJC21 (does one of my themes) that may hep some of our expert users understand moreL

pjc21 said:
Thought I'd start new thread for 4.2.1 Update Discussions, issues and other info

So first thing:

I have found out on 4.2.1 if you do fastboot command

Code:

fastboot -i 0x0b05 getvar all

The "bootloader" "recovery" & "boot" partitions are now in basic format, which means the fastboot format command will no longer work on these partitions as it is not a recognized format in fastboot, I never did try this on 4.1.1 when these partitions where in emmc format but believed it would have worked - anyone confirm this?

Code:

C:\android-sdk\platform-tools>fastboot -i 0x0b05 getvar all (bootloader) version-bootloader: 1.0 (bootloader) version-baseband: 2.0 (bootloader) version: 0.4 (bootloader) serialno: (bootloader) mid: 001 (bootloader) product: Cardhu (bootloader) secure: yes (bootloader) unlocked: no (bootloader) uart-on: yes (bootloader) partition-size:bootloader: 0x0000000000800000 (bootloader) partition-type:bootloader: basic (bootloader) partition-size:recovery: 0x0000000000800000 (bootloader) partition-type:recovery: basic (bootloader) partition-size:boot: 0x0000000000800000 (bootloader) partition-type:boot: basic (bootloader) partition-size:system: 0x0000000030000000 (bootloader) partition-type:system: ext4 (bootloader) partition-size:cache: 0x000000001ac00000 (bootloader) partition-type:cache: ext4 (bootloader) partition-size:userdata: 0x00000006b3680000 (bootloader) partition-type:userdata: ext4 all: finished. total time: 0.105s

Not sure what this means as I cannot find any info on basic format & android
Anyone got any info on this?

_that · Mar 23, 2013

sbdags said:
Here is some info from PJC21 (does one of my themes) that may hep some of our expert users understand moreL

It rather helps confuse me more.

Bootloader, recovery and boot partitions never had a filesystem and could never be formatted with fastboot. It can only format ext4. Other partition types can simply be erased or flashed as raw image.

(At least I learned something new - I didn't know that fastboot has ext4 support at all)

iamborba · Mar 24, 2013

I'll just wait until you release cromi 4.2.1 . Asus can shove their update up their collective Assus, see what I did there, ah good times.

Thats OK · Mar 24, 2013

Great thread!

Damn important stuff!
Who knows what will come of this.

Man I feel for those guys who bricked

The TF300 forum hasn't been a real happy place since the push.

sbdags · Mar 24, 2013

CROMI 4.0 for the TF300 is already out.

I've been moonlighting. Not bad going since I don't actually have a TF300.

Been a long week

Moscow Desire · Mar 24, 2013

Thread Temp Stickied as possible Warning

In light of what happened in the 300 forums as of late, I will temporarily Stick this as a Notice to 700 users.

Remember folks, don't be so quick to start flashing away with new updates. You never know what can happen.

MD's Rule #1 - NEVER take an OTA on a rooted device with unlocked Bootloader. Just asking for trouble. (yes, some people have been lucky)

Give the Dev's a chance to look things over first before you just "assume" everything is OK.

MD

MartyHulskemper · Mar 24, 2013

iamborba said:
I'll just wait until you release cromi 4.2.1 . Asus can shove their update up their collective Assus, see what I did there, ah good times.

Redditor?

I saw what you did there. Hehehe.

dady613 · Mar 24, 2013

hi to poster number one every time i do a full system update with asus full firmware via TWRP ir deletes TWRP will that make a difference?

buhohitr · Mar 24, 2013

dady613 said:
hi to poster number one every time i do a full system update with asus full firmware via TWRP ir deletes TWRP will that make a difference?

If you flash a full Asus firmware, it will remove your custom recovery (twrp). You need to reflash twrp again.

rlm0n0 · Mar 24, 2013

Good looking out dudes.....

ronniereiff · Mar 24, 2013

Added a warning to my signature, others should do the same! I would hate for this to happen to any tf700 owners.

Ali I Hagen · Mar 25, 2013

"Once you go CHROMI, you never go back to stock"
- Unknown

Tylorw1 · Mar 25, 2013

Ali I Hagen said:
"Once you go CHROMI, you never go back to stock"
- Unknown

Something similar

Tylorw1 said:
The Cromi Rom over stock Rom? If that is the question then crazily lol. Once you use Cromi, you never will go back.

Tylor

Also will add a link to this thread in the coming days into my signature.

Tylor

sbdags · Mar 25, 2013

Another 5+ people bricked today. It's like a horrible car crash

Thats OK · Mar 25, 2013

sbdags said:
Another 5+ people bricked today. It's like a horrible car crash

Wowch...Is there a stickied warning thread on the TF300 forum?

sbdags · Mar 25, 2013

Thats OK said:
Wowch...Is there a stickied warning thread on the TF300 forum?

Yep people don't read though. In my CROMI 4.0 thread for the TF300 I posted in RED CAPTALS BIG SIZE that you must be on Stock Asus JB 4.2.1, latest bootloader & TWRP 2.4.4.0 before attempting to flash the rom. Already had 2 people ignore this today. One installed straight over 4.1.1. Luckily you can't brick ths way as I do not incude the new bootloader. Another installed from CWM and now has a brick.

Others are bricking because they either flash the bootloader from a previous custom recovery or they install a previous recovery after going to 4.2.1 Currently both are perma-bricks.

sbdags · Mar 25, 2013

There seems to be a general feeling amongst the TF300 users that nvflash no longer restores on the new bootloader..... Let's hope not. I have asked for some confirmation on that one.

I wonder if Asus has completely messed up with this new bootloader?

Tylorw1 · Mar 26, 2013

sbdags said:
There seems to be a general feeling amongst the TF300 users that nvflash no longer restores on the new bootloader..... Let's hope not. I have asked for some confirmation on that one.

I wonder if Asus has completely messed up with this new bootloader?

I pray people that have the tf300 are gonna get more cautious. And that people who have the tf700 when the new rom comes out reads. It is a terrible thing that people are bricking their tablets people they are not following proper procedure.

Tylor

Sent from my ASUS Transformer TF700T Infinity Pad Using Tapatalk HD
Rom: CleanRom Inheritance 3.4.6 Odex
Kernal: _That's Stock V4 Kernal
Theme: Timberwolf's Blues & Jazz Theme V1.9

FordPrefect · Mar 26, 2013

sbdags said:
Yep people don't read though. In my CROMI 4.0 thread for the TF300 I posted in RED CAPTALS BIG SIZE that you must be on Stock Asus JB 4.2.1, latest bootloader & TWRP 2.4.4.0 before attempting to flash the rom. Already had 2 people ignore this today. One installed straight over 4.1.1. Luckily you can't brick ths way as I do not incude the new bootloader. Another installed from CWM and now has a brick.

Others are bricking because they either flash the bootloader from a previous custom recovery or they install a previous recovery after going to 4.2.1 Currently both are perma-bricks.

Sorry if that sounds nitpicking ... but in theory, if someone installed the stock Asus v4.2.1 ROM, wouldn't he then have the "latest bootloader" automatically? I was under the impression, Asus stock firmware comes bundled with bootloader and ROM.

Just want to be very exact to be prepared properly for the day "our" v4.2. ROM is unveiled

ASUS JellyBean 4.2.1 updates - a warning

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