OK, enough of the introductions let s get started

Transcription

1 Thank you for downloading a RileyROM from Freaktab.com. It is VERY IMPORTANT for you to read this set of instructions BEFORE you start ANYTHING!!! If you have questions about any procedure, browse the threads on Freaktab for possible answers. You can use Freaktab.com as a resource for knowing as much as possible about flashing a custom ROM BEFORE you get started...especially if this is the first time you have done it. After the first time, flashing will be easy. I know this set of instructions is busy and a bit scary looking, but please rest easy knowing that it is very difficult to perma-brick a RockChip device...in fact, almost impossible. Regardless of this being your first time flashing a ROM / firmware, or you've done it many times on many different devices - Keep this in mind: "Measure twice, cut once". Even the professionals do their homework before venturing into new territory. It is a very good idea to have the factory stock firmware available to flash, with whichever flash tool that is needed just in case something happens. I try to test as much as possible, but sometimes a new custom ROM may not work properly. I do not personally own every device I produce ROMs for, but I do have testers who have these tablets who provide me with feedback. You either need a stock firmware to flash, or the last known working RileyROM. There are also other sites with custom ROM s available for your device. And, while I would prefer that you use my ROM, you might find one that works better for you on one of the other sites. I m very partial to being a part of the FreakTab family, and hope you will be, too. Your feedback is very important to me, and I can usually fix a problem quickly if you discover something I missed. Keep in mind, this is my hobby. I have two jobs that take up a bunch of my time. When I release a new ROM, you might wait and see if users aren t having any problems before you try to flash for the first time, anyway. There is a certain amount of risk and responsibility you must assume for choosing to flash a custom ROM to your device, but in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the risks. OK, enough of the introductions let s get started 1

2 So, you ve downloaded the RileyROM now, what? After downloading and extracting this ROM kit, remember the path to where you have it on your PC. I like to extract the folder to my desktop. You should open Windows Explorer and browse around the ROM kit and look at the files and the directory structure so you know where things are. Locate the device drivers for your version of Windows...you will need to know where they are. The main folder contains the flash tool and it's config files...and these instruction texts. The drivers folder contains the required device drivers. There is an x64 subfolder for 64 bit drivers, and an x86 folder for 32 bit drivers. If you're uncertain if your PC is 32 or 64-bit, go to Control Panel -> System, and look for "System Type" on the list. Take the time to locate the correct drivers for your version of Windows. The Language folder contains language configuration for the flash tool. The Log folder contains flash history information. The RileyROM (or ROM) folder contains the actual ROM files you will be flashing. Which Flash Tool are we using? In order to customize the original firmware (ROM), the original update.img released from the factory has to be extracted. Unfortunately, after customization, a new update.img cannot be recreated. Therefore, a different flash tool must be used to flash, than with the original (stock) ROM. No worries, because the correct flash tool is included with this ROM kit. The good news is that the same Windows drivers will work for both flash tools, so if you've already successfully flashed any Rockchip firmware before, you can skip the driver installation steps. We do, however, suggest in this case that you check if there are newer drivers available. If so, update the drivers for your device before flashing. You will need to Reboot 2 Flash mode before you can update the drivers. Can RileyROM's be flashed with CWM? No - not at this point. For a more detailed explanation, see Q&A at the bottom of this file. 2

3 This is my first time ever to flash a RileyROM, so how do I get started? If this is the first time you have flashed a Rockchip device on your PC you must follow some very important steps to properly install the drivers. If you don't follow these steps, you might not be able to flash any ROM's from your computer...ever!!!! (Unless you completely restore your system to the point before you installed the wrong drivers) RileyROM's are configured to be flashed from a Windows PC. That being said, with every new Windows release, it becomes more difficult to get the drivers installed as they should be. By default, Windows tries to install drivers automatically in order to make life easier for the non-technical mainstream user. This isn't a mainstream thing you are doing here, so we need to turn the automatic features off, so we have control over exactly which drivers we are installing. If you miss this step, your driver installation WILL fail, and you can't un-ring that bell. 1. From the Start Menu, go to : Control Panel -> System -> Advanced System Settings -> Hardware -> Settings for device installation. 2. Check "No, let me decide" and "Never install drivers from Windows update". Now, Windows cannot automatically download and install the wrong drivers. After you've successfully flashed a ROM to your device the first time - you can go back to the same place and restore your previous settings if you want to. At this point the drivers are installed correctly, and will remain safe. Make sure USB debugging is turned off on the Android device. Go to Settings, Developer options and scroll down to verify that the USB debugging option is unchecked. If an external memory card is used, go to Settings > Storage - unmount and remove it now. Sometimes the flash process can reformat your external SD card, and your data will be erased...so it is just a safe practice to always do this when flashing. With the tablet on - plug in your USB cable to your PC and to the tablet. Do not turn on USB storage. It is better to use the USB cable that was supplied with your device. Pipo tablets, for instance, require a USB cable with just a little longer connector on the micro USB end in order to reach all the way into the socket. Always plug directly into a USB 2.0 port on your PC - Never go through a USB hub. Never use a USB 3.0 port, the device and its drivers do not support this. At this point Windows might want to install drivers for USB Mass Storage Device. This part is ok, just let it do so. 3

4 Launch Device Manager (in Control Panel) on your PC. Next, launch the RKAndroidTool.exe from the RileyROM folder (Run as Administrator, if your Windows user account does not have administrator privileges). At the bottom of the RK Android Tool window, it should now say "Found RKAndroid Mass Storage Usb". Now click the button that says "Reboot2Flash". This reboots your device into "Flash mode". In a few seconds. depending on your Windows Version - Windows should now attempt to install a driver, but fail. You may get a dialog asking you to point it to the correct driver. If not, open the previously launched Device Manager, and look for the "Unknown Device". Right-click on the device, and select "Update Driver". Point it to the folder corresponding with your windows version. If the update goes well, you can close Device Manager. Go back to the RK Android Tool, and you should now see the following at the bottom: "Found RK Android Loader Rock Usb". If instead it says "No found RKAndroid rock usb", don't worry, the device's "flash mode" has timed out due to inactivity. Either boot while holding "ESC" button, or; power the device on normally, let it finish booting, and click "Reboot2Flash" again and wait for the ""Found RK Android Loader Rock Usb" line to appear. Now you are ready to start the flash process Click Erase IDB. I suggest that you erase IDB every time you are upgrading to a new ROM, or if you encounter a problem and need to reflash the current entire ROM. This will start a low level format of your whole NAND memory. It will count up to however much NAND memory you have installed on your device. Different devices have different numbers it will count up to so I can't be exact. As an example, lets say your device has a count of let it count all the way to that number. If it only counts a few numbers then says it's done - that means the format failed. If this happens, see Q&A at the bottom of this file. After you erase the IDB, it is time to flash the ROM. You will notice on the Flash Tool screen a list of the ROM's components. For details on what each file and entry is for, look below. To begin the flashing procedure, click "Flash ROM". 4

5 So, what are all these files for? 1. RKXXXXLoader.bin (it will have various names, depending on the version). This file is always unchecked by default. You don't need to flash the loader unless you brick your device and have to reset the NAND chip. We include it "Just in case". 2. parameter - this file tells the loader where to put the image files and how much space is allotted for each file. You will notice that RileyROM's come with a variety of parameter files. If you change it, you will have to relaunch the Flash Tool for the changes to take effect. For a more in-depth explanation of the parameter files, see Q&A at the bottom of this file. 3. misc.img - this is just a small file that tells your device to boot to recovery mode on the first boot. After the first boot, code will be written to this file to allow it to boot into system. 4. kernel.img - this is the core of the Android system. This file is unique to your device, and you should never install a kernel for a different device, or it won't work. It contains core drivers that allow hardware components to function correctly. 5. boot.img - this file prepares the file system and settings at boot time each time the device is booted. 6. recovery.img - this file contains the recovery system. If a CWM recovery is available for your specific device, this will be flashed as default. Stock Recovery is also included, but optional. For more details, see Q&A at the bottom of this file. 7. system.img - this is basically the file structure of the entire Android system including the User Interface and preinstalled apps. Most of the customization is done in system.img 8. backup.img - In RileyROM's there is no backup.img file. This entry is just there because the flash tool requires it to run properly. Keep it unchecked, but don't delete it. Sometimes upon extraction, the paths to these files might get messed up. To the right of the path column are boxes next to each item. If you need to change the path to a component, you can double click on that box and a browse window will appear to select the file you are looking for. You can use this tool to flash individual image files, if needed without having to completely flash the whole ROM. For instance, if you want to switch from CWM Recovery to Stock Recovery. You can uncheck all of the components, except recovery and just flash that - without losing any data. Sometimes, custom kernels become available for your device, so you may also only flash the kernel.img this way. 5

6 Q&A - Questions & Answers. Q: The drivers installed correctly, but the device disappeared from RK Android Tool and Device Manager. Now what? A: When in flash mode, the device will power off automatically if there is no "flashing activity" within 2 minutes. You can power on your tablet normally - let it finish booting, then click "Reboot2Flash" again. Continue where you left off. Q: Why can't RileyROM be flashed by CWM (ClockWorkMod Recovery)? A: So far, the option to flash via Clockworkmod Recovery isn't available with RileyROM's. There are some technical reasons why this isn't an option. Mostly it is because there aren't working CWM Recovery images for every device supported by RileyROM's. CWM cannot flash a kernel...so it must contain a kernel to flash a new ROM, but many new ROM's come with updated kernels...so you have a never ending process of flashing new kernels with old kernels and it goes on and on. Believe me, it is just better to flash the ROM from a PC...that way it is all fresh. Q: What are the "parameter" files for? A: Your Android device comes with 16 or 32 GB internal memory. In a traditional Android setup, 2 GB of this storage is dedicated to the operating system, Android, your apps and their data - The rest is your "free user space". The system takes up about 700 MB of this. Now, of you want to install many and/or large apps, large games etc - the remaining 1300 MB isn't going to last very long. With the parameter files, you can choose to dedicate a larger portion of your internal memory, to these things. While 8, (etc) GB files has been included upon request from some users, we suggest 6 GB at maximum for normal use. Remember that an equal amount of increased system storage, will be deducted from your "free user space". The default parameter file (just named "parameter"), is for 2 GB. If you would like to change this, rename this file to "parameter2" (no quotes), and then rename the file with the size (in Gigabytes) you want - from "parameter#.txt" (# being the number), to just "parameter". Again, no quotes in actual file names. Please note - this size cannot be changed after flashing the firmware. If you need to change it again later, you will have to flash again - losing all data that is not backed up to an external source. Also - after flashing with a different system partition (parameter) size than your previous ROM - you need to go to System -> Storage and mount SD card. You will get a notification saying something about "Damaged Memory". Open this notification, and format the SD card. 6

7 Q: CWM (ClockWorkMod) and stock Recovery - whats what, and what is it for? A: Stock (original) recovery has very few options and functions. CWM (CockWorkMod) Recovery is a 3rd party custom recovery mode, with highly extended possibilities and functions. If it is available for your device, it will be included and flashed at default. There will be an additional file named StockRecovery.img in the ROM folder - this is the Stock (original) recovery. If you don't want to use CWM, or are having problems with CWM Recovery, you can rename the recovery.img to CWMrecovery.img and rename stockrecovery.img to recovery.img - then restart the RKAndroidTool. On the first boot after flashing, recovery mounts and formats all of the drives necessary for the device to run properly. Some CWM Recovery installations don't do this properly, so stock recovery is recommended if you experience any problems with boot. Q: The Erase IDB failed - what happened? What do I do? A: There are 2 reasons for this failure. 1. You didn't wait long enough for your PC and your device to connect properly, so wait a little longer before trying after you reboot to flash mode. 2. You have a bad USB connection. Try reconnecting both ends of the cable, or try a different USB cable. Just click OK to confirm...wait a about 10 seconds and click Erase IDB again. Then continue the steps where you left off. Q: The flash procedure went wrong somehow, now the tablet will not respond. A: Connect via USB to your PC Start the Flash app on your PC Press and hold the ESC button for 5 seconds. While holding the ESC button put a paperclip in the reset hole and press and hold it for 5 seconds. While still holding the Esc button and the Reset button, press the power button and hold. You will see the flash tool recognize your device in loader mode. Release the ESC key Release the Reset button Keep holding the power button with your thumb (if you let go, it will go out of loader mode and you will have to start over). Click Erase IDB, let it finish 7

8 Click Flash ROM, keep holding the power button until it is done flashing the ROM. Disconnect from the PC and press the power button again until the device powers up. Q: The device is stuck in bootloop - what do I do? A: Depending on the reason why you are stuck in bootloop, this may or may not work; Connect the tablet to your computer, and start RKAndroidTool. Hold "ESC" button while booting. If successful, the tablet should boot into loader (flash) mode. Proceed to erase IDB and flash ROM again. Enjoy Your Device I certainly hope this document will help clear up some questions for you, and keep you from making what we have found to be some common mistakes in the process of flashing. Thanks to all of the users who have pioneered this process and made the mistakes so we all could learn from them. Randy Riley (rrileypm), Freaktab.com Developer Composition and demonstrational graphics by Jan Magne Skaue (pr0xzen) - Freaktab.com Senior Member 8