yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] GernBlanston:
I have to note that the unlock tool uses the CPU serial, not the device serial to authenticate to the Asus servers...I have to wonder whether the OTA server is doing the same thing...perhaps our missing device serials are simply a side effect of a wider lack of info needed to authenticate with Asus...it seems to me the device serial plays no role at all in the unlock process, perhaps the same is true of the OTA update process. Perhaps our missing serials are simply a visible indicator of the problem and not the root cause.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PuroKaibil:
Yeah!! we will be left out like E.T. trying to phonehome but nobody answer at the other end ... LMAO!!! :)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 3rdamention:
Wow, this "Official" thread to help fix this problem is now 40 days old with no fix, other than to RMA.

Good Job Asus!! :rolleyes:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Rogue100:
Wow, I stopped following this thread after I sent back my first Prime, and got my replacement without this issue.

Is Gary really saying in interviews that this issue is resolved? That sucks!

I would suggest, for anyone that still can, to return it to the retailer for a replacement, if they have stock, or a refund and buy a replacement. As big a headache as that might seem, it's probably less so than relying on Asus for a fix.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] benlc:
Ok guys, I finally got a serious answer from Asus and everyone is gonna be very happy about it (sarcasm ?)

Seriously, 2 months of saying the problem is getting fixed to get to that at the end, I'm pretty pissed.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 3rdamention:
That is not what Gary said in the interview. He said it could be fixed from their server. They just needed your serial. This is beyond ridiculous. No wonder he is not really responding. He even updated this thread saying they need your info and serial.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] julien.me:
This is what I received:

Too bad I can't test that as I just sent my tablet for RMA.

I asked to fix the OTA issue and the GPS (we never know !)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] markbraggs:
Wow.

Thank god I chose to RMA about a month and a half ago.

Still no fix? Why so stubborn, guys? Just RMA...they did overnight for me. If you moan and complain enough, they will cover shipping both ways. I had a replacement within 3 days with a S/N.

I doubt ASUS will ever release a fix for this. They will likely just sweep it under the carpet. After all, they have like 4 new models of TF coming through the pipeline very soon.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnDaddyo:
I love how how this fellow Gary Key came on here as a "hero with a solution"

and enjoyed all his praise and thanks.

I am one who did as he suggested and PM'd him that I cannot find a serial number and get a "connection" error when I try the tool. After a week, his response was,

"This only works for ICS, are you sure you have ICS?" followed by the copy and pasted warning info you read before you download and install the unlocker tool.

Hey, thanks Mr Gary, you're swell!!!

Meanwhile I'm still stuck.

Disclaimer: although I'm likely not capable of figuring or fixing my problem, a bit more detailed help would have been great. Damn!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] GernBlanston:
A bit of understanding on Gary's behalf...I think he was led to the belief there was a fix on the way...in his type of role, he plays more mediator, translator, and messenger than software/hardware engineer, so you can hardly blame him if Asus engineering gives him bad info.

The offense, however, was reporting to CNET "all is good in the land of Primes", acting as if the fix was working for the majority of people, and not following up with a clear instruction here to RMA vice waiting for a fix that never really materialized. It's good that Gary set up communications here, but having done so, he should have realized he became a defacto advocate for us. He should have been more attentive to the accuracy and timeliness of what he was reporting on our behalf. It's one thing to be misled on the outset, but it's been abundantly clear for some time that the "fix" is not really a fix at all, and to just leave that thread dangling with false pointers to a non-existent solution, and worse, to report it as "all better" in the media is not cool.

That being said, is there a way to reverse the fix offered by mempodroid? I'd like to RMA my Prime in its out-of-the-box condition (reporting no serial number, unable to OTA, unable to unlock), which is as equally non-functional as the condition it's in now (reporting a serial number but unable to OTA or unlock).
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnDaddyo:
Unless you are "Gary" I have no clue how you would/could post on his

behalf??? You don't give slack for this type of input. Hinting that maybe, it's not his "fault"? Who cares about that end? He came, he posted a few times and left. As it turns out, there is nothing "good" that this guy came here at all. I mean are

we actually giving grades for effort? Not replying to pm's or posts, whether his poor little hands are tied matters not.

Poor Gary? Really?? That was the premise of your post.

Accepting this sort of practice, although you might get it and be "OK" with it

exactly the reason this happens. Lower your tolerance level, I suggest. I for one, am not OK with the ship/sell now, fix later...if at all.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 3rdamention:
I am sorry, but to go on CNET, and say the Serial Number Unknown Issue is fixed, knowing it is not, is just wrong. I know he is the head of marketing, and I know this is just a little marketing 101, but it was just wrong.

We had people on here, who still had the Serial Number Unknown issue, and he is simultaneously saying it is fixed. I would be so upset reading his interview, if I still had the Serial Number Unknown problem, and he is saying all is well. I am so glad I returned my tablet. Waiting 18 days for a canned response that had nothing to do with the Serial Number Unknown issue was enough for me to see I was being strung along.

Everyone needs to remember that Gary is in Marketing, not in Engineering. He may be trying to help, but the reputation of ASUS to the average consumer is most important. He has to make it seem like ASUS is supporting it's customers, and all customers are happy, even if they are not. It is his job whether he wants to do it or not.

It is really just an all around unfortunate incident for anyone with the problem. I had a great tablet, but no Serial Number. I had to return it, wait another month, get a new one, now it has light bleed in the corner. I know many of you were told a fix was incoming, kept your tablets, and are now till waiting some 50 plus days later, without a fix. That is very unfortunate and I sorry for the delays, miscommunication, more delays, cut and pasted emails, and more that many have been put through. Again, really sad.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] paladin82:
I still have mine with the no-serial issue. I keep doing manual updates. I haven't sent it in because that is the only problem.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PuroKaibil:
Have you found and answer yet Gern? :confused:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] GernBlanston:
So, did you read the lines after the first two in my post? What led you to proclaim the first few words the "gist" of my post? I suggested a bit of understanding for his actions early on, and spend two lines doing that, then spend a paragraph basically slamming him for his actions and inaction since then. Some weeks before that, I posted a pointed comment to the CNET article directed at him, noting the lack of a fix and referencing this thread...I dunno how you construe me to be Gary's apologist, but I'd suggest some further perusal before you vent on me. I'm not the source of your problem, and further, my Prime suffers from the same non-serial issue your prime (apparently) has. In the very next post after yours, it's pointed out, again, that Gary is in marketing...making him the whipping-boy can only go so far before one wakes up and realizes the solution is to RMA the device.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] trollcki:
PrimeTime

Not much of a solution either - i send my prime on 20 jan and still didn't get anything back, spoke to few ppl, senior support managers don't give a $#1t and wont pick up the phone. They send me an email saying basically that it's another 4 weeks before i see anything: a tablet or money or a voucher.

ASUS is done as far as my shopping cart goes.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] xandiek:
Oh, crud.

Crap, crap, crap. I just sent mine in two days ago. Although FedEx is stating it was delivered, AsusTek is saying they don't have it. I wonder how long it will be now... I was so reluctant to send it back, hoping against hope that Gary would at some point provide an actual solution instead of more PR BS, but I finally gave in and sent it earlier this week. Hope I'm not completely boned...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnPrime:
WOW, I am soooooo glad I decided to hang on to mine and didn't send it in.

BTW- Yes, I still have the serial unknown and no OTA updates problem.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PrinterPaper:
I have still not heard back from anybody and I've, of course, followed the directions. Quick posting of the updates online has really made this a much more minor problem than originally, but still . . .
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] predo:
yep it would be good to see some update from Asus on that. I wonder if this will be simple software fix or will it need to be hardware change or replacement....
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] predo:
come on Asus - an update on this would be appreciated! is anyone still working on the fix??
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] predo:
@asus - any update?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] undercover:
Predo, just return it for another one. Asus is absolutely useless

Sent through the wormhole from my CoinInserted Sensation OG.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PrinterPaper:
Posted to indicate that, unsurprisingly, my no serial # Prime does not see an update. Instead, I'm seeing the now very familiar "There is no update for your device currently." Hopefully, Asus gets this on the web in short order as they've done before, but I'm still a bit irritated that I not yet received a PM reply or email reply after following the directions.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] julien.me:
My US prime went for a trip to RMA and came back with s/n but with build WW (?).

Still can't get OTA eventhough the s/n is now populated ...

this is sad ...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Hanshananigan:
Yep.

That was my experience, more or less.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] duy_ctytvxdkg:
Any update information? already PM wait for news!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] klarh:
After talking with tablet@asus.com, I was told to RMA my prime. After getting it back, the issue is fixed (of course).
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] fcortes626:
i was registering my device yesterday and it wouldnt recognize my serial number. i also noticed the serial number on my device and on the system settings didnt match with the one on the box. so when i tried to register it to get the gps dongle it wouldnt recognize my serial so i tried to contact asus thru the live chat option bt no one would connect to me. so i just left it there and when i tried to register it today it was already registered. asus must have done it automatically. anyone else have the issue with the serial numbers not matching up?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] axepted:
Itried to register my device now, and I got a invalid serialnumber.. Dont have my box so cant say if the one there is the same or not in settings...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] slayvus:
I just sent this to ASUS over my Unknown Serial problem.

---------- Original Message ----------

A Factory Data Reset did not fix the problem. I however, refuse to send my tablet back to a service center to get it fixed. I have ALREADY had to send it in twice. The first time I got a new Transformer Prime to replace the first one. I received said NEW IN-BOX Transformer Prime with a NON-FUNCTIONING LCD Screen. Both of these RMAs took over ONE MONTH COMBINED to complete, not including shipping time only time at the Service Center. Again, the Service Center had my Transformer Prime for over ONE MONTH COMBINED from TWO different RMAs.

Therefore, I say again, I refuse to use such awful RMA services. Fyi, the 2nd RMA was apparently supposed to be prioritized to the highest level, but it took them the SAME amount of time to fix it as my 1st NON-prioritized RMA.

Regards,

XXXXXXX
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnDaddyo:
Ditto. Unlock tool fails. Are we too late in trying to get this resolved?

I thought there were many with the unlock tool problem? I have a serial

number but, evidently it does not matter.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] GernBlanston:
I recently RMA'd mine for this problem...it was received 5/4 by Asus, and as of late last night had a tracking number for the ship back. I'll report here my experience when I get it back, but I dare say there may be hope for a reasonable turnaround for this issue.

If you do RMA, just be sure to photograph and document the tablet before packing and shipping..I used the mailing label they emailed me as a backdrop for all the photos I took of my undamaged, working (except for this issue and BT/Wifi fallout) Prime.

Edit: Prime is back, everything is working well, OTA works...I was able to downgrade from .21 to .15, apply root, save root in rootkeeper, and upgrade back to .21 with root maintained.

I'm very happy right now...
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] djwascom33:
My serial is not showing up

I have PM Gary and I have emailed ASUS . I also cant get the Unlock Device Tool to work or get OTA updates with wifi. Can Someone Please Help me with this issue, Thanks
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnDaddyo:
I thought I was the only one not able to use the un locker tool

Been asking for months.

No one knows :(
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Supersaiyan.IV:
Well it's been quite a voyage..

Got my TF201 returned from RMA yesterday, it works fabulous - let's work it with Unlock Tool.

Gives me unknown error. What could that mean? After some lurking I find my s/n is "unknown". What's that? Maybe it can't authenticate with the Asus servers? After more investigation I find various s/n unknown threads and stumble upon the Ratchet fix for this. Sure I thought.

But Ratchet required root, so first a downgrade (I used 9.4.2.15). Then hard wipe to clean the new firmware from previous garbage data.

Next use mempodroid to gain temporary root access and apply the s/n fix according to the guide.

Allright, serial number pops up in settings.

Let's try OTA and Unlock Tool to confirm success - none work.

Unlock Tool still displays "Unknown error. This may be a network connection issue. please wait and try again later.".

That seems like a short story. Well for documentation here's the howto to what was done:

Settings - Applications - Manage - All - DMClient - Force Close/Clear Data/Clear Cache and then reboot. Next, go to Settings - About - Check for update.

Soft factory reset - factory reset from within android settings.

Hard reset - When device is off perform the following: "vol down+power button" -> "vol down button" -> "choose wipe by toggling with vol down button" -> "confirm by pressing vol up button twice"

Manual downgrade - Use Method 2. Downgrades regardless of previous SKU (WW/US/TB etc.) and previous firmware version. Perform a hard reset to cleanup after flash. Enable "USB debugging" under "Developer options" in settings and get familiar with ADB to do this.

Fix serial number with Ratchet - Chronologically I used the s/n restore guide here. Since the the TF201 is downgraded, the temporary root exploit described in the guide will work.

root - (Optional) - It was attempted simply because it was possible at this stage, although futile if the next step is performed, even with OTA Rootkeeper.

(Choose (1) or (2))

(1)Manual update - make sure SKU of new firmware matches currently possessed SKU. Any root access after performing this step is gone.

(2)Manual update and keep root without s/n - (Experimental) - Apparently some people have attempted to manually write the incremental OTA Updates to /cache/ partition and force update - thereby keeping root. However, even by reading the posts I cannot grasp how, and it was a heart-attack inducing experience. Not recommended.

I have tried the above with "US_epad-user-9.4.2.15" and "WW_epad-user-9.4.2.11" downgrades, upon which I upgraded them to their corresponding SKU (important).

Beginning the attempts with "WW_epad-user-9.4.2.21" I now rest on "US_epad-user-9.4.2.15".

Maybe this will work for somebody, it did not for me, but I am far from being bricked and await another RMA to resolve the issue. I am incredibly happy with Asus' support and what they do for the community. A sincere thank you to Gary Key who kindly forwarded me to some very knowledgeable people.

Hope this is of use to somebody!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] flipz0r:
Yeah I have done the exact same thing and I also got exactly the same problem as you. My prime has been RMAd twice and it still does not work. I don´t think asus has handled this very smooth. Im still looking for a solution.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Supersaiyan.IV:
I'm beginning to think that when RMA'd the tablets actually work, but when shipped back (usually by flight) the temperature in the compartment causes some stretching in the chips - more so since aluminum has a cooling effect - effectively corrupting parts of the TF201's memory.

It's a very long shot, but possible.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] xn1337:
Just contacted asus about my RMA.

i sent the unit in after trying everything including ratchet, the guy on the phone stated that the serial number issue has been fixed by asus with the latest update anyway,

and my tablet has been fixed and is on test.

"Waiting-[WB5] Wait for Repair\Test\Aging"

can I guess some of the people trying to unlock their device have not done a full manual update to .21? this may help make the tool work.

or is it possible I may be getting this .28 update their talking about.

will downgrade and root when i get it back, hopefully the downgrade doesn't screw it.

with my tablets original firmware of .88 I noticed that through adb the device id was not the serial number, after updating to .15 the device id became the serial number.

anyone else connected to adb and checked their device id is their serial number?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Supersaiyan.IV:
Before Ratchet my device ID was first, as listed by ADB, "????????????" then "123456789ABC" upon second ADB connect.

Which definitely looked like rubbish, no wonder s/n was unknown.

After Ratchet ADB listed my device with correct s/n.

My TF201 just went off to RMA to fix the s/n issue.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Supersaiyan.IV:
Got my device back from RMA now, neither Unlock Tool nor OTA updates work.

Asus is wasting resources for not solving this properly.

EDIT: Question. Do RMA depots have information regarding how to solve this? Because by the looks of it my TF201 was just sent to RMA to be reflashed and hard-wiped.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Everblue:
For Asus france SAV users :

I battle a lot to RMA my tablet with Serial Number Unknow.

They told me : No support, your device still work fine ...

But i don't have any OTA still december 2011 and i always do manual update .zip

2 weaks of horrible mails with asus support, they give me a RMA but it was 75€ if they don't view any problem ... :mad:

Any french users have same problem ** avec le sav d'asus france ? **
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 3rdamention:
I still remember Gary Key saying in an interview this problem was fixed. He said this many months ago while many were still having this problem and many more have had it since. Thats why he is in marketing. Meanwhile you guys still have the serial number unknown issues months later. It just pisses me off cause he flat out told a lie in a published interview. He should be ashamed.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnDaddyo:
I've received no help from Asus (and, unfortunately here:( )

and... I HAVE a serial number! I just cannot get that unlocker

tool to work!

woe is me.

How can you tell which rom you have?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] eclicorp:
Everyone forgot about this thread ,too bad ,there is more and more people that have problem with theirs serial number ,also there is no answer from tablet@Asus. Com.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] sahilcc7:
Just checked my serial in settings : UNKNOWN. I just got the tablet back from RMA.. and now this.. They replaced the motherboard.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] eclicorp:
Same here, hot my tablet from repair, replaced motherboard, unknown serial number.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] eclicorp:
So Gary Key you forgot about this thread, and all users who have troubles with theirs tf201 serial numbers, half year Asus know about this terrible issue with theirs product and still ther is no real working fix/patch/or fixed ROM. Too bad ,with this technical Asus support it will be my last product from Asus, and still I love my tf201. :banghead:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] eclicorp:
Guys some one need to make something with this, maybe we should make diversion?!

1. Open new threah for all who have problem with s/n.

2. Talk with each other about our problems ;)

3.Send our tablets to ASUS head office(repair) ,just fu*#in spam the office with REAL mails, I think Asus will be shocked and will do something!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] rfka:
They would profit from that and would be great for us.

In Brazil they demand you to send your phone to a secret location in Sao Paulo that you only get a traditional mail code and then waiting 30 days!!!! to get your phone fixed.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] morvegil:
hi

Did above, did nothing. Msging gary
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] f22raptor201:
I'll join the "Reset a dozen times and nothing yet" club. PMed new ASUS/XDA best friend Gary to hopefully help before the ice cream melts. Ha. Eagerly waiting for the fix....in the mean time back to playing with Honeycomb.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] pokevitek:
Let him some time :) Soon I will go to bed, but Gary should be just after breakfast :) Timezones... :D
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Hanshananigan:
I am in the same boat - no record of my PM being sent. Please do contact me as well, Gary. Thanks!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] SonicTab:
Now that is great, 1st post in this thread that put a smile on my face.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] GernBlanston:
When you submit, you have to have the tic box "save a copy in my sent items folder" or some such checked.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] xRedLeadrx:
For all of you watching this thread I thought I'd let you know that it looks like the ICS update has been posted to the ASUS site for download. I'm going to go ahead and give it a go. I'll post back with results to see if the unknown serial number stops the manual update for ICS. I had good luck with the 8.8.3.33 update so I don't see why this one won't work. Don't get me wrong, I want the OTA problem solved but I'll take the manual update for now if I can get it.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] sontin:
Wow, that is so fantastic. They uploaded only the US/WW/TW version. I hate my german prime. What have we done to Asus that they don't support europa?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] SonicTab:
Updated to ICS at last !!!

Took the manual firmware version V9.4.2.7 download from Asus site

and then booting with update file on SD card in the Prime.

Note you have to unzip the download file,

and in it is a another zip file.

Put that zip in a ASUS/UPDATE dir on your microSD card

Plug in and turn on the prime,

then insert the sd card,

touch the triangle icon and start the update.

ICS but still unknown serial number...