yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Asus Transformer TF700] danger-rat:
Any help would be appreciated here...

My device is unlocked and rooted, with TWRP, and the patched bootloader installed. I followed the nvflash thread from here:

http://androidroot.mobi/t3_nvflash/

I managed to pull the first set of blobs, but cannot get my computer to communicate with the tab in APX mode. The tab boots into APX, and when I connect to the PC it shows as an APX device but of unknown make and model (not Nvidia, like the guide suggests). Any attempt to install drivers results in a "driver does not contain any information about your device" error. I've tried the stock drivers, and naked drivers, and different USB ports, but no luck...

I've been digging through all the info I can find, but haven't found anything that helps...

Suggestions welcome...

---------- Post added at 06:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:30 AM ----------

Never mind...

After spending all weekend on Windows POS, I did what I should've done all along, and switched to Linux. Managed to get this working in about 2 minutes...

Much appreciation to the guys who figured this out in the first place!
[Asus Transformer TF700] newellj79:
Does following these instructions reinstall the androidroot bootloader? I'm running jellybean now with the jb bootloader but need to get back to the androidroot bootloader to get something done. Thanks.
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
Yes, the first two lines (--rawdevicewrite 0 2944 bricksafe.img) should restore the AndroidBoot bootloader.
[Asus Transformer TF700] newellj79:
Easier than I thought.... If I just use the first two lines to restore the bootloader, would I still have access to my current recovery at that point?

Thank you.
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
You should have access to the recovery in the state it is in currently. If the current recovery partition is broken, it will still be broken. If it's not broken, it shouldn't become broken anyway. ;)
[Asus Transformer TF700] newellj79:
I do have access to recovery. I'm trying to get back to the androidroot bootloader while maintaining my custom recovery. I know it sounds weird but I'm working on something.
[Asus Transformer TF700] v_droid31:
Downgrade from JB .18 to ICS 0.26 and then use NVFLASH ???

I have searching through posts and forums however, I couldn't confirm it. Hence, this post.

I know you cannot use NVFLASH after 0.30. However, some users have been successful in downgrading to ICS .26 from JB.

My question, if I am able to downgrade to ICS .26 (along with the bootloader), can I use NVFLASH then?

It will be nice some can direct me to any related post / forum.

Thank you
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
Not quite correct - you cannot install the AndroidRoot bootloader over any Asus bootloader newer than 9.4.5.26, and that bootloader is the only way to create the blob file required for running wheelie, which is a prerequisite for using nvflash. Quite complicated, eh? :) As soon as you have this magical blob file (which is unique to your device), you can always use nvflash to read/write raw blocks or partitions, regardless which (or even if any) bootloader, kernel or ROM is installed, as long as you can start your tablet in APX mode.

Maybe they didn't fully downgrade their bootloader, or they did it with nvflash.

If you somehow manage to get the .26 bootloader on your tablet, you can run the whole procedure to enable nvflash. However everyone who tried to downgrade their bootloader failed, because all later bootloaders only allow flashing bootloaders >= 9.4.5.30 that are signed by Asus, even on unlocked devices.
[Asus Transformer TF700] v_droid31:
Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I guess I will have to wait until someone comes up with another way to create blob for >= .30 bootloaders
[Asus Transformer TF700] v_droid31:
Is there any hope that NVFlash will again work with devices updated to JB?

I want to unlock and flash custom ROMs. However, I am hoping to have a backup plan if something goes wrong.

Thanks
[Asus Transformer TF700] dhughes2:
I've successfully ran through the process to backup my files, and I've made multiple copies. I just wanted to confirm I understand a few things before I continue to upgrade my tablet.

I'm planning on upgrading to the stock 4.1.1 (V10.4.4.18) update that I downloaded from ASUS, based on the guide by Scrosler [Guide / Tool][10/15/12] - Update to Official Jellybean Then Root or Custom ROM!.

I know this will overwrite my bootloader to the stock one, thus preventing me from performing the NVFlash again in the future (at least until someone figures out a way around ASUS's blocking us).

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but as long as I have those backups, it doesn't matter anymore what I'm installing. The way I'm understanding it, those files will allow me to follow aboron's directions above to bring me back to the current AndroidRoot bootloader.

It doesn't really benefit me to be on the AndroidRoot bootloader for daily driving, as I only needed it to create the backup files correct?

I just want to make sure I don't perform the upgrade and block me from being able to recover in the future. I don't think this is the case because this is exactly what aboron was doing it appears. I just want to confirm I understand the whole process, since the recovery seems to be somewhat of a mystery to so many people here in this thread.

Thanks for your help guys!
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
I'll state this very clearly, since people generally seem to be confused about it.

Changing bootloader from the AndroidRoot one will only prevent you from doing one thing: recreating your nvflash blobs.

As long as you have your nvflash blobs, you can do anything. Flashing another bootloader will NOT, I repeat, NOT make you lose nvflash access. Only losing your nvflash blobs will do that, which is why you really need to back them up in multiple places.

Nvflash is not in the bootloader (fastboot is). Nvflash/APX mode is not even on the eMMC (the device's flash), it's in the Tegra chip itself. As long as you have your nvflash blobs, NOTHING (except hardware failure) can make you lose nvflash! No update can ever revoke nvflash access, as long as you have your blobs.
[Asus Transformer TF700] tweeklulz:
As of the present there seems to be no solution to this
[Asus Transformer TF700] jarodtufts:
APX Error Sending Bootloader

The first thing I did when I received my tf700t was to pull my nvflash recovery files, and test connecting via wheelie. So far, success. Then I rooted, and then I accepted the ASUS OTA. At that point my device bricked it wouldn't go past the asus logo. I'm not sure what caused the next symptom, but in my recovery efforts my situation degraded and the screen was black. However I could still connect via APX.

So. I tried the above procedure and I did get TWRP to boot. From TWRP I tried to install the 10.4.4.20 firmware downloaded from asus.

After a bit the firmware appeared to finish loading. So, I restarted. Now, I am back to a black screen.

The bad part is now I can not connect APX. My pc recognizes the APX device connected, but when I run 'Wheelie --blob blob.bin' I get an error when attempting to connect:

D\Temp\nvflashpack>wheelie --blob blob.bin
Wheelie 0.1 - Preflight for nvglash.
Copyright (c) 2011-2012 androidroot.mobi
=================================

Waiting for device in APX mode...
[=] Chip UID: 0x15d29955b2c2402
[=] RCM Version: 0x30001

[=] CPU Model: Tegra 3
[+] Sending bootloader...
[-] Error - sending command

It is the last line that doesn't look good :(

Now I am stuck with no next move to make.

Can anyone offer me advice?

---------- Post added at 08:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:10 AM ----------

I successfully completed the procedure in the OP and obtained nvflash access to my device.

But it leaves a non-stock bootloader on the device (AndroidRoot Bootloader - ebtblob.bin)

What are the risks of this?

Is this bootloader's only purpose to complete this procedure?

Are OTA's still possible with this bootloader installed?
[Asus Transformer TF700] Pretoriano80:
Having an "OLD" ICS bootloader can create issues with most of the latest custom roms available so my advise is to Upgrade to the the latest bootloader by flashing the latest JB firmware from Asus site.

Also unlocked devices doesn't receive OTAs,you can only install the updates from the Asus site.
[Asus Transformer TF700] jarodtufts:
Unbricked

I am up and running again.

I can confirm (for now) the BrickSafe claim of the nvFlash method.

I got past my inability to connect with Wheelie (see my post above) by trying once again while connected to the dock. It was strange... First time with the dock it worked, second time, the error returned. Then I tried once again off of the dock and I could connect again.

At this point, I used the nvFlash restore method that aboron posted:

wheelie --blob blob.bin
nvflash --resume --rawdevicewrite 0 2944 bricksafe.img
nvflash --resume --download 14 factory-config.img
nvflash --resume --download 7 unlock-token.img

Now, I had fastboot access again.

Here is where I tried something different. I installed the 9.4.5.30 firmware via fastboot:

1) I extracted the blob file from the zip contained in "US_epad_user_9_4_5_30_20120907_UpdateLauncher.zip"

2) Then I executed these fastboot commands:

2.1) fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash system blob

2.2) fastboot -i 0x0B05 reboot

After reboot, I was fixed!!
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
You flashed the blob to system instead of staging? Funny, I thought that wouldn't work.

But anyway, it's great that you could unbrick successfully!
[Asus Transformer TF700] jarodtufts:
Yes it worked. At this point, APX mode or Fastboot were my only choices (Thank You nvflash for giving me back my fastboot). I could flash TWRP via fastboot. I could start TWRP, but my system was so borked that none of the TWRP menu options functioned properly. Not only could I not see the file system on a flash card, I really couldn't trust it to flash a firmware if it did. I don't really know the procedure for flashing to 'staging', but I did find a post somewhere that detailed flashing the blob. I tried the method and it worked. Lucky me.

I tried to flash 10.4.4..20 the same way, but that did not work. Thankfully, at this point of my adventure, I had a solid functioning version of TWRP installed and I could load the JB firmware from recovery.

Wow! I sure learned a lot in the last 2 days since UPS dropped off my tf700t.
[Asus Transformer TF700] dhughes2:
Thanks for clarifying that firetech. It's what I was thinking, but I just wanted to be sure before I got myself into a situation that I couldn't get out of. Its a little unnerving trying to keep straight all the flashing steps we need to do depending on whether it is an ASUS, Samsung, HTC, etc. device. Since V10.4.4.18 locks us out of doing the backup, I am just glad I got the chance to get one. I feel bad for all the others that upgraded to JB before they had a chance to backup. We all paid a lot of money for these tablets, and we should be allowed to hack them as we see fit as long as we forego our warranties, I'm perfectly okay with ASUS taking that stance.
[Asus Transformer TF700] Buehlar:
Just received my Tf700 today with Build version "IML74K.US_epad-9.4.5.22" and backed up my files without any trouble :good:

Here's my cmd prompt output. Maybe it could help others as it will look similar if all goes smoothly: Your C:\ path may differ.

The RED error below is the expected error you get with the TF700 as stated in the guide.

Hope this helps someone

Many thanks to everyone that makes it possible!:o
[Asus Transformer TF700] jimmy486:
deleted
[Asus Transformer TF700] ishamm:
so i finally got another infinity, after returning another dud. this one seems fine, but in my rush to get it set up i forgot about nvflash, and am now on JB... can i downgrade to the pre .30 bootloader by any means? thanks
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
No.
[Asus Transformer TF700] ishamm:
what is the reason we dont have nvflash for jelly bean? after some googling it looks like various devices have it working. is this something asus needto do, or is it dev-made?

and in the mean time is there any similar un-bricking method for asus? i have been away from asus stuff for a while, but i know sony for example have a restoring option on the pc suite.

thanks
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
nvflash is the only tool capable of fixing all software bricks. fastboot and adb can fix some, but if the bootloader breaks or gets stuck trying to boot a broken recovery, only nvflash can help.

As said multiple times before, nvflash is NOT dependent of the bootloader or firmware and will work regardless of what the device has installed, as long as you have your (device specific) nvflash blobs. What we don't have working for Jelly Bean (and also the 9.4.5.30 bootloader) is generating the aforementioned nvflash blobs. Doing this requires a modified bootloader, and in the 9.4.5.30 and Jelly Bean bootloaders, ASUS added signature checking. This means that these bootloaders will only accept to flash official bootloaders signed by ASUS (and pre-9.4.5.30 bootloaders are NOT signed).

As long as noone is able to break that signature check or get hold of ASUS's key, devices updated to 9.4.5.30 or above will never be able to flash any unofficial bootloader, and therefore in effect can't generate their nvflash blobs. Attempting to brute-force ASUS's key will take literally billions of years (it's 128-bit AES). We can only hope someone discovers an error in the signature checking or that ASUS releases their own nvflash solution (which they are very reluctant on doing).

Not having nvflash isn't the end of the world, though. Just be careful flashing bootloaders and recoveries and NEVER use any "reboot to recovery" solutions or the "wipe data" menu in the bootloader when you are not 100% sure your recovery is working (to be sure, never use any of those, ever).
[Asus Transformer TF700] ishamm:
thanks for that, i hadnt seen anywhere that asus had done that. what a pain. am i right though in assuming that, from my reading, the TWRP is now a pretty safe option for installing roms? i dont see many people with bricks around, but know little about this particular recovery. thanks for your time!
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
I'd recommend TWRP anyway.

Just avoid flashing any recovery built for ICS when you have a bootloader built for JB (and vice versa) and you should be quite safe. And don't do stupid things. ;)
[Asus Transformer TF700] ishbuggy:
I was wondering what exactly can't I do without nvflash? I know I shouldn't wipe from the bootloader, but is there any actions I should not do (lest I brick) for a custom recovery? In my case I am using TWRP 2.3.1.0. Thanks!
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
You shouldn't let any Android app or utility reboot your device to recovery mode (including "advanced power menus" like the one built into CM etc.)! It does work when everything is in order, but can also easily brick a device! If your recovery is broken when you do this (or select wipe data in the bootloader menu, it's mostly the same thing), the bootloader will be stuck trying to boot the broken recovery and your expensive tablet is now a paperweight. Only ASUS or nvflash can get a Transformer out of that state... Same on ASUS for writing such a crappy bootloader.

As a related note, always make sure your recovery is compatible with your current bootloader (and vice versa) before trying to enter recovery. This is especially important when upgrading!

Also, flashing bootloaders (EBT) is a bit risky (broken bootloader and no nvflash = paperweight), but ASUS does it in every stock OTA, so they're not that concerned about it... Nvflash works regardless of bootloader (the APX "bootloader"(?) is separate from the EBT and cannot be overwritten).
[Asus Transformer TF700] alienedd:
Questions about NVFlash

I just recently did the NVFlash process before updating and I have 3 basic questions - though I ask several to indicate the details of my point:

1) The modified AndroidRoot.mobi bootloader creates a fractured logo with a .30r1 message on the screen. I installed the Stock ODEX ROM followed by the CleanROM 2.4 yet the logo is still fractured. Does this mean I'm still using the AndroidRoot.mobi bootloader? If so, do I need to continue using it to be able to restore my system later? Do I need to install the OTA update to install the new bootloader and remove the fractured logo? (For more information of what I've done, it's posted here.) Is there anything I'm missing or blatantly wrong about?

2) I now have the NVFlash blob files, however there is very little on how to actually use these files to restore the system. Is there a link or something that mentions how to do this procedure? (Not that I need to, but just for future reference)

3) The blobs are device-specific though I wonder what differentiates the files to make them so. Is it hardware related? IDs? S/Ns? If this information was known, would there be a way to create "generic" blobs that could then be modified for particular devices? I mean, if every blob were 98% the same, then essentially just some variables just need to be plugged in. Why is that not possible?

I'll try to include all additional information to my blog post as I'd prefer to have everything in one place.
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
Unless you install an official stock ROM image, the bootloader is probably not included (it's risky to flash, and you wouldn't want to do it unless you have to, but ASUS includes it in every OTA...). You don't have to continue using the AndroidRoot bootloader to use nvflash, since APX mode is separate from the bootloader and cannot be overwritten.

There is a post in this thread with basic instructions, but in some rare cases, that is not enough. If you join #asus-transformer on freenode IRC (see here for a bit more info, there are knowing people that can help you fix most problems.

Except for factory-config.img and unlock-token.img(?), all of the files you created in the process are, in their entirety, encrypted with your device's Secure Boot Key (SBK). The SBK is unique to each device, and used to decrypt the bootloader and some other critical partitions on boot. If these partitions aren't encrypted correctly, boot will fail. The encryption and decryption is done in hardware, and there is no way to extract the SBK from there. When in APX mode, the device will shut down if the initial bootloader it receives over USB isn't encrypted/signed correctly (and your blob.bin contains this correct data). For devices from some other vendors, the SBK is calculated from the serial number using a simple algorithm, but for ASUS, that does not seem to be the case. Because the data in question is encrypted by the SBK, the difference between files from two different devices is almost 100%, so generic blobs is not a possibility.

If you somehow knew the SBK for your device, you could generate blobs manually, though. Each device's SBK is probably only accessible by hacking ASUS's servers though, and I wouldn't recommend that. ;)

Everything written above is my understanding of the situation, and some details might be wrong.
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
Correct. factory-config is an unencrypted filesystem image, and unlock-token.img is only a few bytes but cryptographically signed.

I don't claim to know more than you, but your explanation matches my understanding of the situation. :) Your post also helped me understand how wheelie can enable nvflash without knowing the SBK - apparently sending a correctly encrypted bootloader is a working alternative.
[Asus Transformer TF700] alienedd:
Thanks for all the information, Firetech. That post was really helpful (and an extra thanks for addressing all the questions).

Seems that this SBK is a mighty important black box in this meat factory indeed. If the unlock-token.img is cryptographified (cryptographed... whatever), don't we actually get that information during the boot unlock sequence? And if that's the case, couldn't that data be compared to the unlock-token.img and result in a potential SBK? Might need to make an adjusted Unlock_tool.apk or something that spits out the token for comparison later during unlock. Unfortunately, even with that much information, there'd still not be enough to allow non-NVFlashers going in the case of disaster. But still, food for thought I guess.
[Asus Transformer TF700] firetech:
The reason I added "(?)" after unlock-token.img is that I think part of it is encrypted, or signed, by the SBK. ;)

---------- Post added at 03:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 PM ----------

AFAIK, you get the unlock token pre-signed/-encrypted from ASUS (they know your SBK, but they don't want to give it to you) during the unlock process. That is, the data in unlock-token.img is straight from ASUS.
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
It's a "-SIGNED-BY-SIGNBLOB-" header, followed by 8 bytes which contain the chip ID (the same that is also passed by the bootloader to the kernel as androidboot.serialno=....), followed by a signature.

So even if all unlock tokens are signed with the same Asus key (maybe the same that they use to sign the update blobs), they are still all different. :)
[Asus Transformer TF700] mrjayviper:
is it safe to say that the proper steps to get custom recovery/ROM with nvflash are:

1. nvflash

2. root

3. unlock

4. install custom recovery

are these correct? thanks
[Asus Transformer TF700] 7786:
1. unlock

2. nvflash

3. install custom recovery
[Asus Transformer TF700] mrjayviper:
has anyone have used nvflash to recover from a brick? what steps are involved? thanks :)
[Asus Transformer TF700] mrjayviper:
bump
[Asus Transformer TF700] paddycr:
Instructions in post # 189 :)
[Asus Transformer TF700] schidddy:
hey dear tf700 users. i wanted to ask u if my tf700 with the latest firmware update (10.4.4.23) is compatible with this nvflash? i read about the requirement of having a certain bootloader version but how do i check me bootloader version? would be happy if someone could tell me if i am good to go with nvflash or how to check bootloader version :) thx alot!!
[Asus Transformer TF700] XabiX666:
i think that the bootloader version is the one of your firmware 10.4.4.x which is not nvflashable :-s
[Asus Transformer TF700] schidddy:
oh really? that sounds obvious bad :( can someone confirm that i can't use nvflash if the latest asus ota 10.4.4.23 has been installed? i bought my tf700 used from the bay and it has been updated already..

thx for all answers and help in advance :)
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
You can use nvflash only if you had created the required blobs while still on version 9.4.5.26 or 9.4.5.22. You cannot use nvflash without these blob files.
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
I found some info about nvflash - nothing directly usable, but interesting nevertheless:

http://http.download.nvidia.com/tegra-public-appnotes/flashing-tools.html
[Asus Transformer TF700] mark324:
is there a way to go back to 9.4.5.30 ,like downgrade firmware,if you have an updated ,unsupported bootloader
[Asus Transformer TF700] _that:
You can go back to 9.4.5.30, but it won't help you for this - you need 9.4.5.26 or earlier, and you cannot downgrade to that because of the signature checks.
[Asus Transformer TF700] lovey08:
Im currently on the steps on performing this Brickproof and im following the guide but it seems that im stuck at the fast boot process which is after unlocking my device...

My device says that starting fastboot USB downloading protocol

and it just stays there

My laptop said that the fastboot has installed... how come i dont see the command line to put the binaries in?
[Asus Transformer TF700] lovey08:
Tried this... i dont mind being called an idiot because im really new at this, but it didint work still getting the error cannot loadebtblob.bin

But i made sure fastboot was working because i was able to reboot my tablet using fastboot i copied one command from a post and it worked... any body help?