[Atrix 4G Android Development] arvindrao86:
//Version 1.0

Flash any SBF file to your device *without* RSDLite (Mac or Linux)

*using sbf_flash created by [mbm]

**UPDATE: THIS DOES NOT WORK WITH RADIO SBFS. YOU CAN USE CWM TO FLASH RADIO IMGS.

**IF YOU ARE UNLOCKED WITH CWM, YOU REALLY SHOULD HAVE NO NEED TO FLASH FULL SBF FILES. SEE SAMCRIPP'S FRUIT CAKE THREAD

This guide is for Mac OS or Linux users only!! I didn't see any dedicated guide for flashing SBF files for Mac users so i thought I would contribute something to this wonderful community.

Pre-Guide Information (SKIP BELOW FOR ACTUAL INSTRUCTIONS)

The standard prerequisite for flashing SBF files to our devices is RSD Lite, and as we all know, the only platform made available for RSD Lite is Windows. Mac or Linux users have always been required to either run Windows using a virtual machine or find a Windows computer to use. In my opinion, all of these methods are time consuming and can sometimes be very frustrating. Now we can VERY easily flash any SBF file using a simple utility called "sbf_flash" (created by [mbm]). The creator of this wonderful little utility deserves a lot of credit because he was able to make the executable work on both Mac and Linux platforms which is no small feat considering Mac OS X uses the mach-o executable file format while Linux uses ELF. It is very interesting how he was able to accomplish this so if you are interested to find out how or interested in learning more about this nifty little utility, visit his blog.

[mbm]'s Optical Delusion Blog: http://blog.opticaldelusion.org/

DISCLAIMER: The following procedures require you to be somewhat comfortable using terminal and some basic commands. All the standard warnings apply as well. I am not responsible if anything happens to your device. It is your responsibility to ensure you are flashing an SBF that is compatible with your device. Check and then double check for good measure. I also recommend checking the md5sum of the file you choose. Check both the compression md5sum and the actual SBF file md5sum. Follow the instructions carefully and heed the warnings about downgrading.

** DO NOT TRY TO DOWNGRADE TO 1.8.3 IF YOU HAVE FLASHED AN OTA UPDATE OF 4.5.91 **

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INSTRUCTIONS

SBF_FLASH GUIDE FOR MAC OS X (linux users too)

Required Files to Download:

- sbf_flash utility ---> DIRECT DOWNLOAD

- sbf file of your choice **make 100% sure the SBF file you choose is compatible with your device**

** no drivers needed, thats the beauty of this method. so clean **

**There are 2 sets of Instructions, choose one. Novice and Expert (Scroll below for Expert).**

Detailed Instructions (Novice)

:

GET READY: As always when flashing SBF files, remove your SIM and microSD cards and power the device on by holding the Vol+ and Power.

Step 1: Download sbf_flash and place it in an easily accessible directory (e.g. /Users/username/Documents)

*You have to rename the file "sbf_flash" to "sbf_flash.sh" (thank you n1ckr0th)

Step 2: Place the SBF file you have chosen in the SAME directory you put sbf_flash (e.g. /Users/username/Documents/).

Step 3: Open up a terminal shell.

Step 4: In terminal, change to the directory where you have placed both files:

* SKIP TO STEP 5 IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE TERMINAL *

// how to change directories in terminal

* in the following instructions, ignore the brackets when typing in the commands

- the command [cd] is what you use to change the directory. so if the files are in /Users/username/Documents, you would type [cd Documents]

- the command [ls] lists all the files and folders in the current directory. type [ls] and make sure you see both files before proceeding.

Step 5: We first need to make sbf_flash executable (thank you ionstorm3) by doing the following steps:

* once again, ignore the brackets when typing these commands

- type [sudo chmod +x sbf_flash.sh]

- it will now prompt you for your password. enter it *note: [sudo] is a command which gives temporary admin privileges for the preceding command.

- sbf_flash is now executable. continue

Step 6: Flash the image onto your phone:

- type [sudo ./sbf_flash.sh nameofyourSBFfile] (example: if your SBF file is called "atrix.sbf", you would type [sudo ./sbf_flash.sh atrix.sbf]

- once again, it will prompt you for your password. enter it again.

- you are now done.

If you followed the above steps correctly, the SBF file will now begin flashing onto your device. Sit back, grab a brew, and relax.

*TIPS: when you are typing in the names of files or folders in terminal, you can hit the [tab] key after you have typed in the first few letters of the file or folder and terminal will autocomplete the rest. This is especially useful if your SBF file has a long name (e.g. OLYFR_U4_1.8.3_SIGNED_1g_1FF.sbf) in this case, if you just type OLYF then hit the [tab] key, terminal will autocomplete the rest of the filename for you. Very useful!

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EXPERT INSTRUCTIONS

:

1. Download sbf_flash utility and place in easily accessible directory

2. Download SBF file of your choice and place in same directory

3. Open up a terminal shell and [cd] into that directory

4. Execute following command [sudo chmod +x sbf_flash.sh] - this makes sbf_flash exectuable (thanks ionstorm3)

5. Execute following command [sudo ./sbf_flash.sh nameofyourSBFfile] - this flashes your SBF file to your device.

6. Done son.

Well folks, that is it. In my opinion, this is the fastest and easiest way for Mac and Linux users to flash SBF files. Now we can finally do all our rooting/flashing/etc. on one machine. If you have any questions/concerns/problems, please feel free to PM me. Also, if you have any suggestions on improving this guide, let me know. Now it is time for me to give credit to those that deserve it.

CREDITS:

[mbm] for creating sbf_flash and making it work perfectly on both Mac and Linux platforms.

ionstorm3 - thank you very much for not only essentially providing me with the cream of this guide, but promptly responding to my initial concerns.

XDA Community: thank you for well……everything. this is such a great community with many helpful members.