Ideas to jailbreak Windows Phone 8 - Windows Phone 8 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I suggest that this topic should serve as a place for people to suggest ideas on how to jailbreak Windows Phone 8.
Like that there is a centralized place to talk about how to jailbreak wp8.​
Ideas:
-Flash the emulator ROM on the phone to have a dev unlock. USSELES
Original post:
I just thought about a eventual way to jailbreak Windows Phone 8. I have no idea if this is possible or not.
On The Windows Phone SDK you need a dev account to install apps to your phone. Right? How about the emulator ROM? No. You don't. You can test your apps on the emulator without a dev account. So, I was thinking, how about Flashing a device with the emulator ROM, which I suppose would need to be conditioned for each different wp8 device separately, and then, as on the emulator, you don't need a dev account to install unsigned .xap files!
This might be totally unrealistic, but then it might not. (btw I'm a noob in hacking/development)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

GenieEte0 said:
Hi everybody,
I just thought about a eventual way to jailbreak Windows Phone 8. I have no idea if this is possible or not.
On The Windows Phone SDK you need a dev account to install apps to your phone. Right? How about the emulator ROM? No. You don't. You can test your apps on the emulator without a dev account. So, I was thinking, how about Flashing a device with the emulator ROM, which I suppose would need to be conditioned for each different wp8 device separately, and then, as on the emulator, you don't need a dev account to install unsigned .xap files!
This might be totally unrealistic, but then it might not. (btw I'm a noob in hacking/development)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The WP8 emulator rom is very different from the roms that are on the devices. The emulated WP8 device is extremely limited. If its the same as it was with WP7, It only allows access to the internet browser, settings (just access to change the accent color), and the app (the files deployed are called xaps). The unlocked emulator files for WP7 allow access to almost everything. The biggest exception was downloading apps from the store. I'm sure someone has thought of it since then.

GenieEte0 said:
Hi everybody,
I just thought about a eventual way to jailbreak Windows Phone 8. I have no idea if this is possible or not.
On The Windows Phone SDK you need a dev account to install apps to your phone. Right? How about the emulator ROM? No. You don't. You can test your apps on the emulator without a dev account. So, I was thinking, how about Flashing a device with the emulator ROM, which I suppose would need to be conditioned for each different wp8 device separately, and then, as on the emulator, you don't need a dev account to install unsigned .xap files!
This might be totally unrealistic, but then it might not. (btw I'm a noob in hacking/development)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The emulator is compiled to x86 code. The code base, even if decompiled somehow then recompiled for ARM, will probably not work.

There is a really big problem with this idea (several of them, actually).
First and foremost, the "emulator" image is actually just a virtual machine hard disk file (.vhdx). Since it runs on x86 Windows machines, it is over course an x86 VM image. The phones use ARM CPUs; they can't execute x86 code.
Second, the emulator image is crippled to hell and gone. Have fun using a phone that can no longer make phone calls or use a cellular radio.
Third, the emulator image has drivers for the emulated hardware. It does not have drivers for the hardware on the phone. Nothing on the phone would work, even if the image included the software to use it.
Fourth, the emulator image is probably not signed with a signature that the phones' bootloaders would trust. Therefore, it would in effect be a custom ROM; most phones wouldn't allow us to flash it.

Related

[Q] How do you take a screen shot?

As per title...
If your rooted, use an app like 'ShootMe' that you can get from the market for free, and then you can take screenshots on the move.
otherwise install the android SDK and use DDMS which can be sound under 'tools'
connect your device and choose 'Screen Capture'
Could yo advise where I find the android SDK?
you can also use these easy tools here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=765081
AllGamer said:
you can also use these easy tools here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=765081
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The manager tool does not take screen shots and the ADB one requires Root.
otherwise install the android SDK and use DDMS which can be sound under 'tools'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So where do I get this ?
a simple google of what you want
android sdk
returns this as first result.. http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
if ur not comfortable with this, or rooting your device, then your out of luck
note: adb doesnt require root, im not sure what your on about
the ADB for non Geek doesn't require root
ShootMe needs root, but is easier to use
sensi_ said:
a simple google of what you want
android sdk
returns this as first result.. http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
if ur not comfortable with this, or rooting your device, then your out of luck
note: adb doesnt require root, im not sure what your on about
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the ADB link page
it requires installed AndroidSDK and busybox on phone (so and root)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got the SDK and running now though it was a little in depth to install for a noob. Posted some desktop pics as well so thanks to all who helped.
Sorry folks, this just doesn't cut it.
I am not a newbie to computers. I've been using them for about 25 years now.
Someone's got to come along soon and write a simple app that anyone can download and run AS IS. No special Android development software required or rooting etc.
A simple app that takes screen shots, period.
One that won't void your Samsung warranty.

[TUT] Ubuntu on Adam Methods - 03/12/11

PLEASE READ FIRST
This post will have info on the chroot method. To find out info on running Ubuntu natively on the Adam, click this link for post #2 below. Enjoy
chroot Method:
chroot Ubuntu on Adam Beta1...
For now project files for chroot method will be located at this Google Code Project site. Files will be posted shortly, stay tuned.
DO NOT attempt this yet until specified as alpha or beta or otherwise stated as ready for testing!!
Liability:
I'm not responsible for what you do with your device, this is a guide or tutorial for general purposes only.
If you do not have a strong understanding of rooting and how to recover a device from scratch DO NOT attempt this until we are our of beta stages. Wait till you see RC status at least.
Verified working with bugs
Directions:
I'm not sure what file format is needed on the SD card, so make sure it has the stock file format from Android.
Make sure you are rooted using the methods listed here or Notion Ink Hacks Forum.
Download necessary files:
- Main scripts: Download from Google Code Project webpage. http://code.google.com/p/chroot-ubuntu-ni-adam-tablet/
- Ubuntu.img file: Download from MegaUpload. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3ZQTCUUN
Create a folder on root of your Adam SD card called "ubuntu" and download the files from the Google Code Project site to this folder.
Unzip "ubuntu.img.zip" package and copy or move "ubuntu.img" file to the ubuntu folder you created above. Delete all the rest of the files. Do this to make sure you do not confuse the scripts I've put together for the Adam.
Plug Adam into your computer and make sure you have a connection to it.
Android SDK installed on a local computer with ADB functioning.
Make sure you do not have the SD card mounted on your computer. Also make sure USB Debugging is turned on, which I think you need for ADB.
Change the name of "bootubuntu[x].[x]" to just "bootubuntu"! DO NOT use the original "bootubuntu" file.
If you haven't already open a command prompt and type:
Code:
adb shell
Enter superuser mode:
Code:
su
Change directory to the "ubuntu" folder:
Code:
cd /sdcard/ubuntu
Run the setup script (You should only have to run this once or whenever new updates to the files are released):
Code:
sh ./ubuntu.sh
Once the script finished you should be good to go, type the following to run Ubuntu:
Code:
bootubuntu
If you see something like the following below, job well done!
Code:
[email protected]:/#
Troubleshooting:
If you get any errors, please FIRST, try rebooting Adam and start back at "adb shell" step 7 and try again.
More to come
If you get any errors, please post at what step number you got an error and post as much detailed info as you can about the error. Myself and others will do what we can to help.
Resources:
http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-your-nexus-oneandroid/
http://tegradeveloper.nvidia.com/tegra/forum/workaround-run-ubuntu-now
Native Ubuntu Method:
More to come, holding this place for future use...
No problem for testing it ... but not before the end of next week
My Adam will be send on 31st of January
There is nothing to test yet. Not until more research is done and files gathered. Not to mention we still need full root and unlock first.
Do not attempt to run the files in that link.
Sent from my Evo
For Rooting Adam it seems that it's done ?
And Don't worry i will not try to use fill that wasn't for Adam.
If you need help ... to search, test ... I will be part of ;o)
Thanks Gkar! Just be sure to follow this thread as any updates will appear here.
Also, root methods have been started but there are bugs. We need Adam users to help with that process first before helping here. Once that process works consistently I plan to get started on this.
Sent from my Evo
Pfffff ... I've just seen on pre-order page that my date has been pulled to 14th feb 2011 and then i will have to wait to test !!
Ubuntu netbook edition
Btw, I am sure you have seen this, but Ubuntu does have a Netbook Edition. It brings all the advantages of Ubuntu to a netbook – using Unity, an innovative user interface super-optimised for smaller screens and also convenient for touch screens.
So, this may be the best version to port to Adam if we can get it going. I unfortunately have no development knowledge to know if it is possible.
Mmmmmh .... i'm using Netbook edition on EEE 901 for my kids but unity isn't mature.
I prefer old version of Netbook edition (10.04 LTS) ... and that's the version used to create Ubuntu Distro for HD2.
Maybe we can ask them for some help.
I'm interested on this too. For the record, I'm keen to get an Adam and wipe Eden, replacing it with Ubuntu. I think Ubuntu 11.04 will be an awesome distro to run on a tablet, and currently Notion Ink's Adam is the only one being made that meets the stats I'd like to see.
The current hacks that exist to get Ubuntu running on the Nexus One (have done that) require running a modified server version from the sdcard, the using VNC to run a virtual session. Has it's plusses (running within Android, for instance), but I'm keen to see Ubuntu running natively. Android isn't mature enough to be a main system yet, whilst Ubuntu is. Cheers.
hope a port is cooming soon
Yeah, I'm very eager to try this too
Maybe a dual boot with Android ?
Looking forward to it
Thanks for your patience everyone. I've been swamped. This weekend I plan to hunt down some files, look at the scripts, and hopefully we can start trying this shortly!
This is one of the main reasons I have been waiting for the Adam for so long. Hopefully we can dual boot Ubuntu as that is what I would prefer, but if not, oh well. I want to have a tablet that acts more like a computer then a glorified smartphone without phone capabilities... Can't wait to see the development of this!
TreTuna said:
This is one of the main reasons I have been waiting for the Adam for so long. Hopefully we can dual boot Ubuntu as that is what I would prefer, but if not, oh well. I want to have a tablet that acts more like a computer then a glorified smartphone without phone capabilities... Can't wait to see the development of this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dual booting is always preferred yes, but that is not what my method will do. This method will be a bootloader running on top of Android. For many reasons this will be easiest for now.
I'm very excited about this, can't wait to have my Adam and following the developent of ubuntu.
I really think, on another hand, that Android and Ubuntu are majors players in the open-source OS and should therefore communicate better.
I want Adam to be the best friend of my Ubuntu desktop. There are so many possible ways to make these OS interact, at least the way iOS talk to Mac OS X.
i can't wait for my Adam to be here to write apps in this direction!
I love that idea as well. Would be cool if there was a way to integrate Ubuntu netbook edition and Android.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Ubuntu netbook edition and the desktop version are now the same thing with the upcoming release. Actually, the whole UI of Ubuntu is getting a major overhaul to be touch centric. Currently, my nexus one running cyanogenmod DOES talk to my Ubuntu netbook. And server. Very well in fact. Tomdroid for notes reads all off my desktop tomboy notes, and Funambol, with syncevolution syncs my calendar and address book.
Have just ordered an Adam with a friend, and plan to hack it extensively until Ubuntu is running in full, natively, as it's primary operating system. Android is useful, but doesn't have the functionality of Ubuntu. Would be useful having android as a secondary system, or within Ubuntu, but I won't hold my breathe.
I agree though, the first step seems to be getting Ubuntu running within android. I'm starting to research how the bootloader needs to be hacked to recognise a usb or dvd drive to boot from, and how it would "see" ubuntu installed on one of the internal drives. Will post back with more info soon, even though this is further down the track.
tillum said:
Ubuntu netbook edition and the desktop version are now the same thing with the upcoming release. Actually, the whole UI of Ubuntu is getting a major overhaul to be touch centric. Currently, my nexus one running cyanogenmod DOES talk to my Ubuntu netbook. And server. Very well in fact. Tomdroid for notes reads all off my desktop tomboy notes, and Funambol, with syncevolution syncs my calendar and address book.
Have just ordered an Adam with a friend, and plan to hack it extensively until Ubuntu is running in full, natively, as it's primary operating system. Android is useful, but doesn't have the functionality of Ubuntu. Would be useful having android as a secondary system, or within Ubuntu, but I won't hold my breathe.
I agree though, the first step seems to be getting Ubuntu running within android. I'm starting to research how the bootloader needs to be hacked to recognise a usb or dvd drive to boot from, and how it would "see" ubuntu installed on one of the internal drives. Will post back with more info soon, even though this is further down the track.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered my Adam Once I saw it figure in XDA forum. My experience with XDA especially with SGS phone has been immensely satisfying. The way Things are going I am sure Adam will be an object of envy before long.

Double Rooting - Webtop and the Atrix

From a development and user standpoint I am of course interested acquiring root for the android side of things but my main interest and focus on gaining the ability to modify and enhance the webtop image that provides the "full feature" capability for Firefox. So in a sense there is a goal for Double Root on Atrix. Rooting first the android side and then rooting the webtop Linux instance.
I am guessing from the looks of it that webtop is based on Ubuntu Light. It is also likely run in a VM otherwise the phone instance of android (Dalvik) and the Webtop could not run simultaneously. Given that the platform is probably something to the effect of:
Linux File System -----> Dalvik VM ------> Android Runtime
Linux File System -----> Some other VM? -------> Ubuntu Light
I am running under some assumptions (not having an Atrix till next week ):
* The "Some other VM" is not Dalvik since I don't think as an App VM.
So some of the questions I seek to answer right away are:
What VM is running (presumed) Ubuntu light
Does that VM have security around the disk image (singed)
Is the (Webtop disk image) encrypted/signed
What is needed to get root access on the Webtop side.
The best way to get root on the Webtop side is to go after the file system. I am guessing that will be signed but it MUST be writable at some level to save state.
Just a bunch of musings. I am looking forward to getting my atrix so I can start answering some questions.
I think getting root to one or the other will make it VERY easy to root ther other.
I for one hope it is ubuntu lite, or something debian based. Hopefully make it really easy to port over a full distro.
being able to boot into a full linux distro would be the cats meow!
i have full expectations of being able to do this within a month or two ;-)
Do you guys think it would be possible in the coming weeks/months to be able to boot into a full linux distro on the Atrix itself - without the laptop dock?? that would be ultimate awesomeness right there!
jgc121 said:
Do you guys think it would be possible in the coming weeks/months to be able to boot into a full linux distro on the Atrix itself - without the laptop dock?? that would be ultimate awesomeness right there!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the nexus one and nexus s and dell streak and motorola Droid (OG) could run ubuntu so I hope the atrix will.
emoose said:
Linux File System -----> Dalvik VM ------> Android Runtime
Linux File System -----> Some other VM? -------> Ubuntu Light
I am running under some assumptions (not having an Atrix till next week ):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's also possible that they have a Linux variant running on bare-metal, without a VM. I have seen some architectures in the embedded world that allow each CPU core to work together as a typical dual-core system, OR to boot a different OS kernel on each core.
The latter case would be the most interesting in terms of getting the most out of Linux on the Atrix, assuming the second OS can be rooted. This could (speaking with almost no knowledge of Android itself), also be another angle of attack/defeat though if that means the webtop linux kernel also needs to be signed...
Then again, a VM does make more sense in terms of the near-instant boot time of the WebTop mode.
I can't wait to see the "double root... oh my god... what does it mean???" Youtube video come out in a few weeks =)
If I can get a command prompt and root access on the Webtop instance I will sound just like the Double rainbow guy.
Things I believe to be true right now.
WebtopSession app initiates then session when you plug in HDMI. This is no different than any other peripheral launch.
WebtopSession app (speculating based on other posts) checks you connection type and provisioning. If you don't have a tethering plan it doesn't allow you ton continue. If you are on wifi it allows you to continue.
If you start off on WiFi and then change network state to mobile radio (and no tethering plan) will it discontinue the session?
The WebtopSession App doesn't look like it does anything other than manage the initiation of the Linux (Webtop) session.
There is nothing in the dumps that looks like it could remotely be a disk file which makes me think that there is a partition that is different that the normal android partitions. I would love to see a partition map of a rooted phone.
jgc121 said:
Do you guys think it would be possible in the coming weeks/months to be able to boot into a full linux distro on the Atrix itself - without the laptop dock?? that would be ultimate awesomeness right there!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im also wondering this!
edit: Erm. Whoops. A little bit of research and it turns out Motorola has left the code in for when they test the OS in "goldfish-qemu", an Android emulator. Sorry ><
It's got to be QEMU. In the retail firmware dump in /etc/init.goldfish.sh:
Code:
# call 'qemu-props' to set system properties from the emulator.
#
/system/bin/qemu-props
So what I'm thinking after parsing the information I've got...
... WEBTOP is simply a QEMU (ARM version?) instance running off of some unknown image/partition on flash that outputs to HDMI with some hackery to support local media [mounted in the host OS, Android] and local control and USB keyboard/mouse input, along with special extensions to allow for use of the Android/host OS instance within the VM.
labsONE said:
edit: Erm. Whoops. A little bit of research and it turns out Motorola has left the code in for when they test the OS in "goldfish-qemu", an Android emulator. Sorry ><
It's got to be QEMU. In the retail firmware dump in /etc/init.goldfish.sh:
Code:
# call 'qemu-props' to set system properties from the emulator.
#
/system/bin/qemu-props
So what I'm thinking after parsing the information I've got...
... WEBTOP is simply a QEMU (ARM version?) instance running off of some unknown image/partition on flash that outputs to HDMI with some hackery to support local media [mounted in the host OS, Android] and local control and USB keyboard/mouse input, along with special extensions to allow for use of the Android/host OS instance within the VM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So then you are saying it could be possible to do something like this:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsXPUnderQemuHowTo
jgc121 said:
Do you guys think it would be possible in the coming weeks/months to be able to boot into a full linux distro on the Atrix itself - without the laptop dock?? that would be ultimate awesomeness right there!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Running the webtop or a full distro without any docks will be just plain awesome...
emoose said:
If I can get a command prompt and root access on the Webtop instance I will sound just like the Double rainbow guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh maaan. Double root all the way What does it mean???
In all seriousness, the Atrix is certainly the most interesting phone from a developers standpoint, but I'm sitting and watching for a bit as I want to see how much of a problem the signed bootloader becomes first.
So does the Signed Bootloader rule out the Double root ? or changes to the Webtop APP/Module ?
hrishi2das said:
So does the Signed Bootloader rule out the Double root ? or changes to the Webtop APP/Module ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends. Signed bootloader refers to the fact that the phone boots only if certain partitions match the Moto signatures.
The question is, where does the Webtop mode boot from, and is any part of *that* boot process signed?
I don't know why you guys think it has to be running in a VM. It's more likely they have just install Xorg and Firefox on Android and run them, with X displaying on the HDMI.
Exactly the same as the ubuntu-on-android hacks, but instead of using VNC to view X, you just display it on HDMI.
The phone view is an X11 app which communicates with the Android system server to mirror the display.
I seriously doubt they are using QEMU or anything like that.
Bah! Edited post since my last one was way off.
Did some looking and it looks like qemu in this instance is related to running some proc emulator for android development sdk support.
There this is a bunch of stuff out if you google: android goldfish
Its related to ARM targets for the sdk and in this instance probably not webtop.
I'd still really like to see the output of:
adb shell
cat /proc/mtd
Timmmmmm said:
I don't know why you guys think it has to be running in a VM. It's more likely they have just install Xorg and Firefox on Android and run them, with X displaying on the HDMI.
Exactly the same as the ubuntu-on-android hacks, but instead of using VNC to view X, you just display it on HDMI.
The phone view is an X11 app which communicates with the Android system server to mirror the display.
I seriously doubt they are using QEMU or anything like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree. But from the DG's / dump could not find more interesting info except the WebtopSession.apk. I guess webtop stuff live in another patition which is actived when webtop session starting.
Could anyone who has a rooted Atrix dump the phone while webtop on?
sexydroid said:
Agree. But from the DG's / dump could not find more interesting info except the WebtopSession.apk. I guess webtop stuff live in another patition which is actived when webtop session starting.
Could anyone who has a rooted Atrix dump the phone while webtop on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the webtop device. What about while the phone is plugged into the TV? If it'd help any just give me the steps and I'll do it.
Yes if you plug your phone into the tv it will be able to access webtop.

[Q] Installing Linux Mint 17 on tf701t?

Hello, recently purchased a asus tf701t laptop/tablet hyrbid and the device itself is perfect. Powerful cpu, good storage and an insane 2k resolution for a 10' inch screen which I don't think has been done before.
However I absolutely hate android (no offense to android developers) and decided to try installing Linux Mint 17 which can be installed on any regular laptop easily. Essentially, I want to get rid of both android bootloader and the OS itself and replace that with Grub bootloader and Linux Mint 17 OS. But android is fighting me every step of the way trying to prevent me from doing just that I unlocked the bootloader so my warrenty is void now.
But beyond that I can't install linux iso because the android bootloader isn't registering the usb stick (with linux iso on it) so I can't launch the linux live iso at all. I tried using cdrom iso using disk to launch through usb and still doesn't come up in the bootloader options. I know its possible to use linux on these devices because I've seen people have done it before on the internet.
I am now at this point starting to consider android itself as malware as the very definition of the word, ....lets start with the fact that they locked the bootloader, prompting me to give ip address just to enable me to unlock the bootloader (malicious and very dodgy). No root access therefore, third party programs are required to enable root which further my belief that android os is more malware than it is a legitimate operating system. Lastly, either possibly no usb driver for bootloader or usb port is locked out by design at bootloader (either way, might explain why I can't use usb linux iso).
What I can't understand is, why google can lock down a device tighter than fort knox on a Asus brand device. This is like buying a brand new car and not being able to open your own car even though you purchased it. What google has done is borderline illegal and I'm abit astonished how they can get away with it...
Sorry for the rant guys I'm abit fustrated atm. Can anyone please help me? I really love linux mint and if its possible to format android and install linux mint on this device I would be eternally grateful
Update: I attempted to flash the device with the command: fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recovery recovery.img which works...but when I reboot and push power and down volume into bootloader...and try to get into recovery...the screen looks like its about to load into it but then resumes boot of android.
I'm really puzzled by this. So cannot flash a custom recovery for some strange reason
Its not so simple I dont think. You might want to watch whats happening on this thread for now.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/transformer-tf701/general/native-linux-asus-tf701t-t2973119
I would think you would have to completely replace the bootloader with something like uboot maybe if you wanted to wipe the tablet. But I dont think anyone knows. Then you could end up with some permanent brick. There would be no recovery or fastboot option if you were somehow able to get some kind of boot loader on this thing. I have no idea.
Edit: Also there is no arm based Linux Mint afiak.
YayYouFixedIt said:
Its not so simple I dont think. You might want to watch whats happening on this thread for now.
I would think you would have to completely replace the bootloader with something like uboot maybe if you wanted to wipe the tablet. But I dont think anyone knows. Then you could end up with some permanent brick. There would be no recovery or fastboot option if you were somehow able to get some kind of boot loader on this thing. I have no idea.
Edit: Also there is no arm based Linux Mint afiak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I appreciate the reply. I understand this won't be easy but I'm stubborn that way
Can you give me some advice on where I can start learning how to place a native linux os on the device? Would grub bootloader work with tf701t?
have you considered returning your tf701 and replacing it with the tf700 infinity? you can replace the OS with ubuntu.. theres much more support for that model than the tf701
tf701mega said:
have you considered returning your tf701 and replacing it with the tf700 infinity? you can replace the OS with ubuntu.. theres much more support for that model than the tf701
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of curiosity, have you used the tf700t? it is good for development, but it could run pretty slow at times. It might of been because of the tegra 3 processor, because the tf300t also had this performance issue. I was barely able to type up documents on a CM Rom because the tablet would lag when typing out and would then force close and corrupt my document.
atleast for me, that was the reason why I went with this one rather than the tf700t. This is just my 2 cents about getting the tf700t. I would suggest trying it out before getting it.
Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk 2
Just how stubborn are you?
How much work do you want to put into this? There are two options, the easy route that you probably will consider imperfect, and the much more complicated route that I'm not certain will work. I'll do my best to explain both.
The method I use is to install a linux distro (in my case, ubuntu) inside a chroot. There are several apps on the android market to help you set this up. The one I used sets up an Xvnc server, so you can view your linux desktop by using an android VNC viewer -- but it's just connecting locally, not going over the network.
This works nicely out of the box, but it's slow, partly because it's using the VNC protocol and partly because there's no 2d hardware acceleration. I tinkered with my setup and installed XSDL, a native android X server with hardware acceleration. I had to modify the linux startup script to skip starting Xvnc and instead connect to XSDL (which is on :0.0 like a normal X server).
This works great and is fairly fast. For me, this is a good compromise between a full-fledged linux laptop and the convenience of android apps written specifically for a multitouch screen. I generally do most of my stuff in Android, but I can drop into my Ubuntu desktop whenever I need more power.
The really big downside is that it's hard to prevent Android's low-memory killer from sacrificing XSDL when I haven't used it for awhile. I've mucked about with various solutions involving oom_score_adj and such, and that helps, but android still ends up killing my X server sometimes.
So, that's the easy method. For the more complicated method, I'm just theorizing, and this stuff may not work. You're going to need to either already have somewhat deep linux knowledge or be willing to learn Here goes.
In this post, I described how I managed to boot my tf701t after the internal memory card died a horrible death. The important bit here is that I learned how to boot any initrd/kernel combination using fastboot, and how to roll that combination into a boot.img so that the tablet always boots it. This is what you'll need to do both for the installation and for future boots into your Linux install.
First off, choose your Linux distro. I don't think you'll be able to use Mint, since, as someone pointed out above, there's no ARM build of Mint. However, there is an ARM build of Debian and Mint has the "debian edition", so maybe there is an ARM version. It may be, though, that the Mint folks only built their special stuff (Cinnamon/mate/whatever) for x86 platforms. I'd recommend Ubuntu as a compromise since I know it runs on the tf701t.
For the initial installation, put the contents of the install ISO onto an SD card -- just copying your bootable USB drive over should work. Now for the tricky bit: you'll need to pull the kernel and initrd ("ramdisk", "initial ramdisk" -- usually initrd-<something>.gz) off of the usb drive and into a working directory on a Linux laptop or desktop (let's call it the "host"). You might get away with just fastbooting this kernel/ramdisk directly. Install the fastboot package for your distro (Ubuntu has one, anyway). Connect up your tablet, put it in fastboot mode (I think that's done by booting with volume up and down held) and do 'fastboot boot <your kernel> <your ramdisk>'.
This will boot the kernel and load up the initrd, which is a tiny little linux filesystem stored in memory. The kernel runs a program called init inside the ramdisk and init takes over and boots into the actual installer. The question in my mind is how it goes about finding the ISO contents. If it searches by filesystem UUID, and there's a good chance that it does, then it will find your the ISO contents on the SD card just fine and the installer will start up.
If not, well, things will get a lot more complicated. Normally what one would do in a case like this would be to pass kernel command-line arguments (you do this in the SYSLINUX bootloader for distros like Ubuntu) telling it where to find the installation media. We can't do that because fastboot doesn't let you pass command-line arguments. Instead, you'd need to extract the initrd on the Host machine, modify the init script in some way to tell it where to find the installation media (probably /dev/block/mmcblk1p1), and then repackage it. I went into somewhat shallow detail on how to do the extract/repackage parts of this, but this is where either prior linux knowledge or a willingness to do some research comes in. Hints: gunzip the initrd, then use the cpio tool to extract it.
Okay, so let's say that you get the installer booting. The next big question is whether it's going to work at all. In theory the graphics chip inside the tf701t is supported by linux, but in practice, maybe it's only supported by a kernel module that Samsung built. Maybe you'd need to substitute the stock kernel. The next question is whether X has a module that will work with the graphics chip. But maybe even if it doesn't you can use a text-mode installer. That would at least let you get a system installed that you could then hack on to try to get X running.
So, let's say you do get linux installed (probably onto the internal SD card, /dev/block/mmcblk0). Now you want to boot it. You'll need to look into the installed system and steal its kernel and ramdisk, and get them onto the Host machine. Or maybe you could just extract them from the debian packages, since I'm not sure how you'd get things off of that internal SD at this stage. As a hint, these may well NOT be the same kernel/initrd as in the installer.
Once you've got the kernel/ramdisk, you can try to boot into them with fastboot. If that works (big if), then you'll want to be able to boot them without fastboot. That's where the 'fastboot flash:raw' command comes in. It takes a kernel/ramdisk, builds an android boot.img out of them, and flashes it to the device. From then on, the device will boot that kernel and ramdisk by default.
So, in theory this could work. The biggest potential stumbling block is whether X is going to natively support the graphics chip. If it doesn't, you may be stuck using the basic framebuffer driver, or maybe that won't even work at all. ...or you could just settle for the chroot method and be done with it
Good luck. I'm very interested to hear whether this works. I'm probably not going to try it myself since I like Android enough that I want to keep it around. I also can't walk you through this in finer detail because of external limits on my time, but I'd be happy to answer theoretical questions and specific technical questions, so long as you're willing to do the legwork of reading manpages and such I hope this works out for you!
Oh, one thing just occurred to me: skip the part in the installer about installing grub. It's not going to work on this device and may cause problems. You'll take care of the bootloader part yourself with the fastboot flash:raw command.
Oh, I see there's already some decent progress in this thread. Also it looks like I totally missed the -c option in fastboot that lets you pass kernel command-line arguments... that'll definitely be a time-saver. Given what I see over in that thread, it looks like we may actually get a reasonable native linux on our TF701t. Not sure how far the OP has gotten on things like mouse/keyboard input, though.
I have to say, I'm pretty excited! It'd be super cool to be able to dual-boot native linux and android on this tablet. Best of both worlds.
lexelby said:
How much work do you want to put into this? There are two options, the easy route that you probably will consider imperfect, and the much more complicated route that I'm not certain will work. I'll do my best to explain both.
The method I use is to install a linux distro (in my case, ubuntu) inside a chroot. There are several apps on the android market to help you set this up. The one I used sets up an Xvnc server, so you can view your linux desktop by using an android VNC viewer -- but it's just connecting locally, not going over the network.
This works nicely out of the box, but it's slow, partly because it's using the VNC protocol and partly because there's no 2d hardware acceleration. I tinkered with my setup and installed XSDL, a native android X server with hardware acceleration. I had to modify the linux startup script to skip starting Xvnc and instead connect to XSDL (which is on :0.0 like a normal X server).
This works great and is fairly fast. For me, this is a good compromise between a full-fledged linux laptop and the convenience of android apps written specifically for a multitouch screen. I generally do most of my stuff in Android, but I can drop into my Ubuntu desktop whenever I need more power.
The really big downside is that it's hard to prevent Android's low-memory killer from sacrificing XSDL when I haven't used it for awhile. I've mucked about with various solutions involving oom_score_adj and such, and that helps, but android still ends up killing my X server sometimes.
So, that's the easy method. For the more complicated method, I'm just theorizing, and this stuff may not work. You're going to need to either already have somewhat deep linux knowledge or be willing to learn Here goes.
In this post, I described how I managed to boot my tf701t after the internal memory card died a horrible death. The important bit here is that I learned how to boot any initrd/kernel combination using fastboot, and how to roll that combination into a boot.img so that the tablet always boots it. This is what you'll need to do both for the installation and for future boots into your Linux install.
First off, choose your Linux distro. I don't think you'll be able to use Mint, since, as someone pointed out above, there's no ARM build of Mint. However, there is an ARM build of Debian and Mint has the "debian edition", so maybe there is an ARM version. It may be, though, that the Mint folks only built their special stuff (Cinnamon/mate/whatever) for x86 platforms. I'd recommend Ubuntu as a compromise since I know it runs on the tf701t.
For the initial installation, put the contents of the install ISO onto an SD card -- just copying your bootable USB drive over should work. Now for the tricky bit: you'll need to pull the kernel and initrd ("ramdisk", "initial ramdisk" -- usually initrd-<something>.gz) off of the usb drive and into a working directory on a Linux laptop or desktop (let's call it the "host"). You might get away with just fastbooting this kernel/ramdisk directly. Install the fastboot package for your distro (Ubuntu has one, anyway). Connect up your tablet, put it in fastboot mode (I think that's done by booting with volume up and down held) and do 'fastboot boot <your kernel> <your ramdisk>'.
This will boot the kernel and load up the initrd, which is a tiny little linux filesystem stored in memory. The kernel runs a program called init inside the ramdisk and init takes over and boots into the actual installer. The question in my mind is how it goes about finding the ISO contents. If it searches by filesystem UUID, and there's a good chance that it does, then it will find your the ISO contents on the SD card just fine and the installer will start up.
If not, well, things will get a lot more complicated. Normally what one would do in a case like this would be to pass kernel command-line arguments (you do this in the SYSLINUX bootloader for distros like Ubuntu) telling it where to find the installation media. We can't do that because fastboot doesn't let you pass command-line arguments. Instead, you'd need to extract the initrd on the Host machine, modify the init script in some way to tell it where to find the installation media (probably /dev/block/mmcblk1p1), and then repackage it. I went into somewhat shallow detail on how to do the extract/repackage parts of this, but this is where either prior linux knowledge or a willingness to do some research comes in. Hints: gunzip the initrd, then use the cpio tool to extract it.
Okay, so let's say that you get the installer booting. The next big question is whether it's going to work at all. In theory the graphics chip inside the tf701t is supported by linux, but in practice, maybe it's only supported by a kernel module that Samsung built. Maybe you'd need to substitute the stock kernel. The next question is whether X has a module that will work with the graphics chip. But maybe even if it doesn't you can use a text-mode installer. That would at least let you get a system installed that you could then hack on to try to get X running.
So, let's say you do get linux installed (probably onto the internal SD card, /dev/block/mmcblk0). Now you want to boot it. You'll need to look into the installed system and steal its kernel and ramdisk, and get them onto the Host machine. Or maybe you could just extract them from the debian packages, since I'm not sure how you'd get things off of that internal SD at this stage. As a hint, these may well NOT be the same kernel/initrd as in the installer.
Once you've got the kernel/ramdisk, you can try to boot into them with fastboot. If that works (big if), then you'll want to be able to boot them without fastboot. That's where the 'fastboot flash:raw' command comes in. It takes a kernel/ramdisk, builds an android boot.img out of them, and flashes it to the device. From then on, the device will boot that kernel and ramdisk by default.
So, in theory this could work. The biggest potential stumbling block is whether X is going to natively support the graphics chip. If it doesn't, you may be stuck using the basic framebuffer driver, or maybe that won't even work at all. ...or you could just settle for the chroot method and be done with it
Good luck. I'm very interested to hear whether this works. I'm probably not going to try it myself since I like Android enough that I want to keep it around. I also can't walk you through this in finer detail because of external limits on my time, but I'd be happy to answer theoretical questions and specific technical questions, so long as you're willing to do the legwork of reading manpages and such I hope this works out for you!
Oh, one thing just occurred to me: skip the part in the installer about installing grub. It's not going to work on this device and may cause problems. You'll take care of the bootloader part yourself with the fastboot flash:raw command.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very stubborn
Sorry I didn't respond sooner as I was away with family for Christmas.
Thank you for the guide, it was extremely helpful. I am still working on getting the device ready so I'll update as I progress.
Thanks again

[REQUEST] Compile for any phone script

I propose a single script that generates images for any android compatible phone. It will (maybe?) require a bootloader unlock, the kernel source, and a cached 'update.zip' or internet connection, but not much else.
Essentially, all you will need to do is plug in your phone and run the script as an admin (sudo sh ubuntuphone-auto.sh). Then, the script will install all of the (cached) dependencies, automatically download (or used the cached one) the system's flash/update zip, and compile ubuntu with the contained images.
It should also do a sideload of a processor test (if compatible) and warn of currently incompatible or too hot/slow hardware while it's compiling on the computer.
This will help clear out that system fragmentation thing where it's hard to develop for all systems. We should add options for a bunch of android app stores to be installed. (Something like 'do you want the play store' and if they press enter it skips it. The generic install without any extras will need you to put a --generic or hold down the enter key)
The script will be just that - a bash or python script that has a comment at the end of each line with a line number and a note briefly explaining what you can change on that line.
We eventually could make it not just for ubuntu, but for every arm based OS like CM13, FireOS, etc.
However, things should start small... Let's just start with Ubuntu.
runed.OS said:
I propose a single script that generates images for any android compatible phone. It will (maybe?) require a bootloader unlock, the kernel source, and a cached 'update.zip' or internet connection, but not much else.
Essentially, all you will need to do is plug in your phone and run the script as an admin (sudo sh ubuntuphone-auto.sh). Then, the script will install all of the (cached) dependencies, automatically download (or used the cached one) the system's flash/update zip, and compile ubuntu with the contained images.
It should also do a sideload of a processor test (if compatible) and warn of currently incompatible or too hot/slow hardware while it's compiling on the computer.
This will help clear out that system fragmentation thing where it's hard to develop for all systems. We should add options for a bunch of android app stores to be installed. (Something like 'do you want the play store' and if they press enter it skips it. The generic install without any extras will need you to put a --generic or hold down the enter key)
The script will be just that - a bash or python script that has a comment at the end of each line with a line number and a note briefly explaining what you can change on that line.
We eventually could make it not just for ubuntu, but for every arm based OS like CM13, FireOS, etc.
However, things should start small... Let's just start with Ubuntu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that script had existed, we would'nt had a need in developers at all
This script would be a reality only in ideal world with open drivers. Because of rush in smartphone production we have binary blobs with tons of lags and devices with unupgradable kernels at all (that are VERY important for security).
the reality is that not all companies release AOSP sources for their device, this devices need patches in order to provide all functions of phone, and in fact enthuthiasts do a little reverse-engineering work where possible.
This script isn't possible now, maybe in few years when machines will learn reverse-engineering and some logic.
But generally idea is nice, implementation will lack for some time
Haha, look! Ubuntu just made one of these! It only works for their phones, though.
runed.OS said:
Haha, look! Ubuntu just made one of these! It only works for their phones, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it doesn't work as you want.
You still have to download binary drivers and place them manually in corresponding folder. It doesn't automatically port ROM
Plus you have to download precompiled kernel for UT separately.
It's FAR for script you want.

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