yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
And you were absolutely correct! I tried again today with 100% success. Glad you thought of that.

Question:

In the "a13_livesuit_img_with_a700_partition_values.zip" file, you have

* "partition_corrected_a700.img", the flashable image, and

* "sysconfig and init.sun5i.usb.rc.txt", a copy of the rom's original ".rc" file, I am presuming?

Why the text file? Is that where you made your partition changes and you wanted to keep the original intact "just in case"?

Thanks for realizing that my zip problem was just a server issue. :good:
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
I'm glad it works for you :)

The text file was already in the original download package. I figured I'd just leave it there in case it contained any useful information. I only skimmed it.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Return to stock flashable zip!

Hey guys!

I have created a flashable zip that will return the A700 to stock. Much easier than using dd to write all those images! Check it out in the "Return To Stock ROM" section of post #2.

Cheers!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
I will try it. Congrats!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dedac:
This also works on the A701

I tested this method (rooting, by copying the su linked, and dd-ing the cwm image over nandg on the Azpen A701, and everything appears to be working, the mounts are successful and it can see the internal and external SD card. The built in filesystem seems to match the between the A700 and the A701.

I believe that they may be hardware-identical devices, but I am not sure on that.

Now, on to building a device tree :)
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Awesome! I'm excited to see what comes of this. :D
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
BLuFeNiX's Stock-Rom Flashable Zip

I really had wanted to try this before now, but at least I FINALLY got around to doing it just now. This is so incredibly awesome.

I especially liked the status message: " -- Stock image installer for Azpen A700 by BLuFeNix -- "

Classy.

This went so incredibly smooth. And it worked absolutely perfect BAR NONE!

Upon completion, I told it to reboot into recovery. And guess what?

Yep, you guessed it! The recovery partition was ALSO restored to the stock root recovery (SDK : MID-A13-Android4.2-V1.0-20130121)

I am SOOooooooo impressed!

I wonder... can't you submit this to Azpen for them to put it on their support site in lieu of the LiveSuit flash that they DON'T have anyway?

:angel:

---------- Post added at 02:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:28 PM ----------

Okay, being the notorious inquisitive insatiable tinkerer that I am, I considered by question above. So I have this tablet, NEW as though I just bought it from Micro Center because I just restored mine to stock using BLuFeNiX's flashable zip file. And I thought, "huh, I messed my tablet up and I want to use that flashable zip to put it all back the way that it was when I bought it (presuming I'd messed it up even though I hadn't.)

Problem being... it's still got the stock ROM and not the CWMrecovery. So I started in Stock Recovery and selected "apply update from external storage" and let it fly.

-- Install /sdcard ...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
Installation aborted.

I guess you HAVE to install CWMrecovery before you can do this kind of a restore.

But it was worth trying. At least now I know.

:p

Interesting observation... after rebooting AFTER the install failed...

When Android started, it did a rebuild of Dalvik Cache.

There isn't any such ability under stock Android recovery that I know of, so I wonder if I have discovered a way of erasing Dalvik Cache that I didn't know about before? Hmmmmmm....??? (Did that sound kind of like William Hartnell's Doctor Who?)
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Thanks for testing it! I would submit it to Azpen if I thought they would use it, but I would be a bit worried about their security policies if they accepted it :) Also, I think the eventual solution of a real livesuit image for the A700 is a better catch-all solution for the problem.

Oh, I almost forgot: Now that I have an easy structure for flashing images, I might make an improved stock ROM with a flashable zip too. We'll see what my schedule permits. :D

---------- Post added at 10:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:37 PM ----------

Yeah, stock recovery has special authentication keys that aren't known to anyone who isn't Google (and possibly device manufacturers). If we could get the keys, I could easily sign the zip file with them and it would work without issue. This is the same reason we can't install CWM from stock recovery. If we are lucky, the keys will be leaked/cracked, but it's doubtful.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
Once I was fully restored to new stock ROM with stock Recovery, I tried the CWM build 5 "Flashable ZIP". I should have typed the output of it here, but I think that it failed with identical results as to when I tried to apply the Stock ROM zip using the stock recovery. SHOULD... the flashable zip for CWM recovery work under stock recovery? Or is it going to have the same issue you described with trying to flash the Stock ROM zip under stock recovery? Wow, I think I repeated myself in several circular fashions there. Don't mind me, it's "Timey Wimey Wibbley Wobbley Stuff" that's got my brain dysfunctioning.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
It is not intended to work with stock recovery because it is currently impossible. Stock recovery has special authentication keys that aren't known to anyone who isn't Google (and possibly device manufacturers). If we could get the keys, I could easily sign the zip file with them and it would work without issue.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
That's mean. It kind of goes against the whole open source and gpl, it seems. I have always presumed Google to be one of the big advocates of both open source and general public licensing. I guess I presumed wrong.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
It's for security reasons. I can appreciate that, especially since it's not a difficult work-around to install CWM via dd. It would be worse if there was no way to change the recovery.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] thedarkfreak:
They're not hardware-identical, but I can confirm that the CWM build 5 in the second post works on my A701 as well. I thought I'd added that to my original post in this thread, but I guess the edit didn't go through.

I hope they do give us the source code for the kernel at some point, although I myself made a request for it months ago and have heard nothing.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
I like your mind and your personality, BLu. With that kind of a mature response, it's hard to believe that you don't have dozens more years of hard knocks behind you than just 21.

I've got to work harder at getting familiar with these tablet ROM internals so that I can think more informed and actually produce like you are. Thirty five years of software development behind me; you'd think that I could just fly right into this stuff, but it's more of a struggle than anything I've learned yet.

Thanks for the tidbits of insight and your openness in sharing.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Thanks :) Some things are easier to pick up than others. This is the first time I've created/released anything for android devices (unless you count gif2boot -- it's in my sig), even though I've been playing with android ROMs for a few years. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of software development do you do?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
Gee, since, what?, uh, I think about 1981 I've been about 80% on the IBM i (Power Systems) platform based primarily in the IBM RPG language doing application and business systems development as well as software maintenance. I deserve the golden gloves award for that. But that's simply how I make a living.

Yeah, if you did the math after checking the site on the IBM link that says "IBM i is an integrated operating environment with a 25-year reputation for exceptional security and business resilience", you'll say 1981+25 is 2006, not 2013. Before the AS/400 (the moniker of the first machine that's now deemed "IBM Power System i"), I was programming IBM's System/38 that was the foundation and predecessor of the AS/400. In those days, the OS was called CPF. Evolving into the AS/400, they renamed it "OS/400". It is now called "IBM i".

In school in the '70s I learned and wrote quite a number of play-around programs using BASIC, Fortran and Pascal mostly on the HP 2000 and 3000 systems.

I started professionally back in the early CP/M then PC-DOS days writing machine code and assembly language.... also application programming using dBase II (yeah, THAT one ages me) and BASIC.

Through the years, I've evolved with programming c++ in Windows and Macintosh (don't ask :rolleyes: ). And java. This last few years I've been focusing on Android development. But so far, everybody has written everything that needs to be written. So I've not written anything worth putting out there. I'm not creative -- have never had such a bone in my body. So if somebody doesn't give me a project, or if I don't see a need that I can fill, I tend to flounder.

About 13 years ago I got my first Linux machine and fell in love with it. I've been "toying" in Linux ever since. But like Android, java, and c++, I can't seem to find a motivation for doing anything wonderful.

So my forte is in the big systems where business demands drive my productivity. I am no entrepreneur, that's for sure.

I'm seeing retirement staring at me from a dozen-year distance and realize that I need to keep doing what it is that I have only ever done in the past once I no-longer have "the man" holding my reins. My passion is truly in the Linux box, especially as it is clothed by Android. I suppose that's why the closer that this decade is coming to an end, I am more focused on trying to develop a mastery of it like I have mastered everything else in my past.

In fact, it's very good for me because I've become somewhat arrogant within my comfort zone. This is not my comfort zone, so the drive to get a grip on it is extremely compelling.

Okay, so much for my autobiography :o , thanks for asking. And like I've iterated several times, I really appreciate watching what you're doing here.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Wow, that's quite a repertoire! I hope to have that much under my belt one of these days. I mostly work with Java/PostgreSQL for web and desktop applications, and I'd like to say I've nearly mastered Linux. Thank you for being one of the individuals that helped advance the technologies I use today :)
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
[MOD] Extended Power Menu

File Link;

EPM-Azpen-A700.tar Version 2

I based my work off of Paulobrien's 4.2.2 MoDaCo Custom ROM for the Nexus 7 Extended Power Menu. Consider this mod to be experimental, always make a backup before doing anything.

The link is to a tar containing the modified android.policy.jar and framework-res.apk, if someone would like to make this into a flashable ZIP feel free.

To install (These steps assume you have already loaded the Android SDK on your computer);

Untar EPM-Azpen-A700.tar to a directory of your choosing.

Boot the A700 into recovery mode

Under the "Mounts and Storage" menu mount the System partition

Open the command line on your PC and type "adb push (The directory of your choosing in step1)\android.policy.jar /system/framework/android.policy.jar"

Then type "adb push (The directory of your choosing in step1)\framework-res.apk /system/framework/framework-res.apk"

Then "adb shell"

Then "cd /system/framework"

Then "chmod 755 android.policy.jar"

Then "chmod 755 framework-res.apk"

Unmount the System partition

Wipe the Dalvik Cache under the Advanced Menu (You probably don't have to do this, I tend to do it out of habit)

Reboot the tablet

Enjoy a job well done.

Fun Fact about the Extended Power Menu mod.

Most if not all tutorials on XDA for this mod were created for Phones, so if you follow said tutorials the Menu will still not display. This is due to the fact that on this tablet doesn't make the standard dialog call when holding down the power button like a phone would, it makes a function call to just shutdown, see below.

Original GlobalAction.smali;

iget-object v1, p0,
Lcom/android/internal/policy/impl/GlobalActions;->mWindowManagerFuncs:Landroid/view/WindowManagerPolicy$WindowManagerFuncs;
const/4 v2, 0x1
invoke-interface {v1, v2}, Landroid/view/WindowManagerPolicy$WindowManagerFuncs;->shutdown(Z)V

My Modified one with the Dialog call;

iget-object v1, p0,
Lcom/android/internal/policy/impl/GlobalActions;->mDialog:Lcom/android/internal/policy/impl/GlobalActions$GlobalActionsDialog;
invoke-virtual {v1}, Lcom/android/internal/policy/impl/GlobalActions$GlobalActionsDialog;->show()V

Hopefully this mod is helpful to those who are booting into recovery a lot and Hopefully we'll get a device forum soon, lol.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Awesome! I wanted to make a mod like this, but I hadn't even started researching it yet. Are you planning on making this into a flashable zip? If not, I could do that for you.

Edit: My A700 did not like your mod. It hangs on the AZPEN logo when booting. I tried rebooting and wiping dalvik. Are you sure there isn't another file that we need to copy to /system/framework/ ?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
Those are definitely the only files you need, but maybe I wrote the install process wrong, I'm flashing my back to stock right now to check.

If you want to make the files into a flashable zip feel free.

Edit: I see the issue, I created the zip with the android.policy.jar named wrong. I'll have an updated upload in a few minutes.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
Try this link, it should work now. I've updated my post to reflect the new TAR.

http://d-h.st/bvq
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
Gonna check it out, cool. Then I,m going to see if I can figure out how you figured out how to do this. Thanks!

TEST COMPLETE: And quite successfully, I might add. It performed exactly as you described it. It is a very nice addition, and I appreciate you contributing it ften. Now I hope that I can figure it out. THANKS!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
What I tend to do to figure out mods is to find the stock version of the files, decompile them and then take the modded version of the files and decompile them and then compare the two(I use DiffDog, but Beyond Compare is another program). I then figure out whats changed and how it relates to the files I want to change in the same manner. If that fails, I just start guessing.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
My fault. There was a typo in one of my commands that copied a file to the wrong place. It works great, thanks!

Here is a flashable zip for your mod: Azpen A700 EPM installer

I will include this in post #2 to make it easy to find.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
I really REALLY appreciate the guidance, ften! Thanks!

I've got some kitchen stuff (Uberizer is another one... very functional once you get your grip on it) that I was steered to in an instructional "How to upgrade a Trio Stealth 7 (Model 7c A13) From ICS to JB", Posted by Stephen Schrauger on Tuesday, 12 March 2013. It was very helpful and I successfully walked through the tutorial perfectly.

But your suggestions give me more of what I needed... how to start poking around. That's the part I'm scared to do due to my unfamiliarity with the ROM model so far. I will... learn it... I always learn what I set out to learn. ...just somewhat of a struggle this time.

I again have to applaud this marvelous inexpensive machine. It is so great to be able to accidentally break it without the fear of thinking that it's broken for good. I again have to thank BLuFeNiX for making the restoration a reality!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] xombie21:
Need help.

I have been trying to root this tablet for the past couple of days and i just cant get it to root can someone explain how they did it in the most simplistic way possible.

P.S. this is not my first root.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
Rooting / already rooted

Well, first of all, they come from the store already rooted, believe it or not. The problem is that the method used to root them provides (for the most part) all of everything that you would want in a rooted device... EXCEPT for the prompting to grant SU access... as well as a few other inconveniences (such as some "root" programs claiming that it's not rooted when it really is). I don't know why they did it that way or how they did it that way.

But when all is said and done, we simply find ourselves wanting it to be properly rooted.

I have used Kingo Android ROOT lately because it is SO easy to use. Make sure you've got your ADB drivers loaded in Windows and that you've enabled ADB access in the developer settings on your tablet (yeah, you already know both of those things based on your post, but I iterate this for when others find this post by searching). Start up Kingo and tell it to unroot your tablet. It will unroot it as-best-as-it-can, but it's not rooted right so Kingo will report an error. Ignore the error and tell Kingo to re-root your tablet. It does it correctly -- and EASILY!

Good luck! :D
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Basically, the su binary was compiled with a piece of code that restricts the android user from gaining root, but still allows appropriate system apps and ADB shell to obtain root.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
Sounds intentional. Gotta wonder why they would do that.

PS: BLu... actually almost getting somewhere with trying to create my own LiveSuit flashable for this. I may end up hitting you up with a couple of questions during this next week.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Well, I think they did us a favor. Most devices aren't rooted at all out-of-the-box. Instead of having to run an exploit to root, we are able to simply copy a file. Some devices are notoriously difficult to root, and provide no convenient, intentional method.

Also, that's awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I'm not sure if I'll be able to answer your questions, but I sure will try.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
Built it -- but for the wrong box.

I got on a roll, got all finished, and discovered that I'd built a LiveSuit flashable ROM for my Mach Speed Trio Stealth 7c with the A13b and ICS instead of for the Azpen A700. :o

It was thrilling as all get-out! I bet you don't have one of those, though. If you did I've got it available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B28pBpgXMDbraE5hZ1FnOER3eDA/edit?usp=sharing. And it works perfectly ALL the way back to just-bought-new factory reset with the stock Android recovery.

Well, I guess the Trio was my trial-and-error. This time, I'll already know what I'm doing with the A700. What a dufus I can be sometimes.

I wish I was awake enough to start all over again tonight on the RIGHT machine. :cyclops:
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
If anyone was wondering if AnonFBI's CM 10 build for Allwinner a13 Tablets (link) works out of the box with the proper touchscreen patch, it doesn't. After I rebooted I got no boot images and it basically hung. It did prompt for the debug driver, but ADB and ddms both gave me a system/bin/sh -1 error, so not sure what it was breaking on. I always have a backup so back to mostly stock.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Awesome! I'd love to know what steps are involved in making the livesuit image. Looking forward to the A700 version :)

---------- Post added at 07:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 AM ----------

I wonder what would happen if we used the CM10 filesystem with a different kernel? Maybe all we need to do is repack the kernel with correct drivers/modules.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
Yeah I don't see us getting the source code for the kernel any time soon, I just got a response from Azpen saying they buy all the boards pre-loaded and to ask the manufacture for the source. Which I'm pretty sure is not in compliance with the license for Linux, but fat good thats going to do us. I've requested the manufacturing info from them to request the source from there.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
I've been working on the Azpen A700 and the Mach Speed Trio 7C due to their similarity in price. They are both A13b processors with the same memory configurations and 10 partitions. Whereas the A700 is stock Jelly Bean, the Trio is stock ICS. Oh, and other than that difference, the Trio does not have the ability to load into recovery from "off"... there is no hardware trigger for it and it has to go into recovery from the Settings app.

Anyway... your comment that they are buying them preloaded from the manufacturer makes me wonder if they may be coming from the same place. The Trio is distributed out of Ada Oklahoma... Hmmm... me wonders if there may be a back door.

Since I'm trying to finish up a revision to my Trio project before starting my A700 project (I put the cart before the horse, dang it), I should try to contact the Trio distributor in Oklahoma to see if I can learn more... maybe there will be something helpful there.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
I went through the same thing. They literally told me to dismantle my tablet and look at the board manufacturer stamp.:mad:

Good luck.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
Thats what they told me in a reply email, but they also told me that INet makes the boards. Which makes sense when you look at the build prop.

ro.product.brand=iNet
ro.product.name=nuclear_inet
ro.product.device=nuclear-inet
ro.build.description=nuclear_inet-userdebug 4.2.2 JDQ39 20130819 test-keys
ro.build.fingerprint=iNet/nuclear_inet/nuclear-inet:4.2.2/JDQ39/20130819:userdebug/test-keys

INet's website is; http://www.inet-tek.com/English/ if anyone wants to join me in the quest for the source, lol.

And I'm pretty sure it's version of the 86vz board (The link looks like it's to the K70, isn't not). Link. What leads me to believe this is it looks like the same board (Alup's photos) and the build.prop once again.

ro.build.display.id=A13_86VZ_M758C2_1308112.20130914_1

Could some with a CM forum account ask Alup if he has a picture of the Model number.

Well my detective work is done for now today.;)
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Done.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dsulliii:
Hey, good catch.

So to follow up on my question as to whether it may be the same manufacturer as my Trio, this would then mean "no". Doing the same thing, I find the Trio to be:

ro.product.model=TRIO7C
ro.product.brand=softwinners
ro.product.name=nuclear_708h9
ro.product.device=nuclear-708h9
ro.product.board=nuclear
ro.product.manufacturer=unknown
ro.build.description=nuclear_708h9-eng 4.0.4 IMM76D 20121025
ro.build.fingerprint=softwinners/nuclear_708h9/nuclear-708h9:4.0.4/IMM76D/20121025:eng/test-keys

And it's true because I saw a picture of one that someone had taken the back off of, and it says "softwinners" right on it.

So our A700 most likely does say "inet" on it.

Interesting, though, how it says "ro.product.manufacturer=unknown".

This is great information, although a bit disappointing. But I'll jump in there with iNet as well.

THANKS, ften.

-- David
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ften:
I got bored and took the tablet apart...

The board model is;

INET-86VZ-REV03 Zeng-gc 2013-07-08
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BLuFeNiX:
Nice! I was going to send inet an email requesting source code, but I have been unsuccessful in finding an email address. Have you found one?