yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
repartition

I was going to do that one next, after fooling with the Doogie, went to bed and was busy this morning, didn't forget, was going to do that now.

As for those directions, well I'm not sure why it says to do anything with the EBR2 according to this particular device, the EBR2 is extended partition, 2TIB, just so that it can have the extra internal storage, you probably did it the same way, just took 4gb from that 2TIB, don't effect the EBR2 but does the EBR1 obviously. Now if it had actually the 4gb coded in that EBR2 it would make sense, then you would just subtract the 4gb and add it to 2gb in EBR1.

I was thinking about this, and the only other way it might work, is if you where to actually format all and download flash just the EBR1 and not the EBR2, here is a modified scatter if you want to try, what I did was changed the EBR2 from true to false so when you load it you won't see EBR2, just EBR1 and MBR.

Not having a phone like that to mess with myself, it is difficult to really say.

If you want you could also go into adb shell and type, just as I have:

#cat /proc/partitions -> /sdcard/partitions.txt

and

#cat /proc/dumchar_info -> /sdcard/dumchar.txt

and attach the files that it will copy to your sdcard, that might give me a better idea.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
No rush re the ZTE, take time, I have wasted your time too much...lol

Will have a go later with Doogie as I am having problem restoring clockworkmod backups now. The first backups that I have taken restores fine and the phone works. The 2nd backup which I taken just before trying your ebr1 and scatter file (has more configured apps\games) restores with an error (which I have seen before - error says restoring data failed after some time but worked) but phone won't boot now.

Thanks gain for your help
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
Format

I've done the same thing, to fix that just format in spflash in the format option. Do the auto format. Then try just downloading everything from the original, should do the trick. You may want to make sure that you have the preloader.bin enabled and make sure it's loaded. SOmetimes for some reason spflash won't do it corectly. way at the top. Without that the phone won't boot.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
EBR2-False worked

I have never done the 'format' option yet, too scared, lol....just use the download option...will use it once I really mess a phone...lol

Anyway, I just used your EBR2-False-MT6582_Android_scatter.txt, factory reset (which I don't think I did before with your one and my own calculations) and it worked. Screenshot attached. Bit confused now as on other forum they say that you have to subtract from EBR2 file- http://www.chinaphonearena.com/foru...d-change-your-partitions-for-MTK6589T-MTK6582

I am still struggling to restore my second backup but I guess will start again. I will use the original backup in case you come out with more optimization

Thanks again
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
I thought I download everything using your false-ebr2 scatter except PRELOADEDER and now SIM card is not recognized anymore. I am downloading the originals now except PRELOADEDER and hopefully it will work....any ideas?

---------- Post added at 06:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:27 PM ----------

Waiting Sim Card initialization, and it does not recognize the SIM Cards anymore, an ideas please....?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
AWESOME

:laugh:

Was starting to get worried when you didn't reply for awhile, was starting to feel bad.

Saw that post you pointed to, was the first post read about the EBR files, which didn't work for mine, think I even commented on it, not sure. When looking at your EBR1 and EBR2 at first, thought the same thing but noticed that EBR2 was different then those instructions, only has one partition in it where that one has 3 or four. Technically, the mod on yours would probably to the same trick on those devices.

I didn't forget about the ZTE, had a theory and was trying it on mine before doing anything with the ZTE, figured out how to get the partitions exact, utilized every bit of space leaving the internal storage at 0 and the cache at 150mb with userdata at 2.7gb. The ZTE partitions are pretty much like mine, but it doesn't want to work so may as well just do the ZTE the easy way, ah well bummer.

Most of the tutorials are from people just like you and me, but there is always a better or new way to do things. I read in a diff forum where somebody was using fdisk to repartition, which is kind of the same technique, thing is the person bricked there phone and couldn't figure it out so they exchanged it. All they had to do in the first place, or even have the commenter do for them was have a backup of the MBR and EBR files from MTK Droid tools and just reflash back in spflash.

As for bricks, well there really isn't a true brick I think, always a way to recover. I bricked my zte merit, tried flashing the wrong recovery, formated the system and only had the boot, left me frozen at the boot logo. Was trying to figure out how to get to FTM mode when I did this. Turned out the entire time had what I needed sitting on my PC. The TPT files for the zte avail, which is the exact same phone as the merit, all I had to do was slowly integrate the avail files into the merit, save the brick, converted the phone then unlocked it.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
There is nothing to feel bad, on the contrary you have been very helpful and I am learning as well…perhaps, its time that I start to consider Linux on my bootable USB Drive :)

As for Doogie, eventually managed to restore the IMEI and on the process took risk as well as learning new things, lol …noticed MtkDroidTools IMEI backup only one IMEI number, not both. Also restoring from original backup restores same numbers that is different to the ones on the box (bizarre – never paid any notice on this so don’t know what it was before)…Bit concerning although its Chinese phone after all, lol. Reinstated my own EBR1 & EBR2 now as I am not sure what happened – sheer coincidence that I lost IMEI number after using that false scatter file….I don’t know…will explore further :)

I await for ZTE solution from you if you have time of course, :)

Thanks again
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
Here it is

Man I should have done this first, only takes me 5 min, not even a big deal. After trying to see if I could flash the new EBR1 I made for my tablet, took me all damn day to get it back. That's it, to reduce the cache you really have to fool around, it works but is such a pain.

ALso, here is an IMEI tool I found, will let you restore/write more then one imei number :)

This is done like the first 6572, you should have I think 33mb of internal storage.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
spflash

Don't like the way spflash loads files. Even when everything is set to true it doesn't load everything. Then when you load manually it opens to where ever splash is extracted to. Then you have to navigate one by one ahhhhh. I don't understand why sometimes it loads the preloader and others it doesn't.

I never had an imei number so when I dialed *#06# said write imei. Now it just shows invalid but don't know how one gets a valid imei. Do you call at&t and ask for one?
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
Thanks again,

I still don’t know the cause of the original issue re loosing IMEI numbers (whether it was your scatter file or something just went wrong, lol) but what I can say is when you format the phone, it messes up the IMEI numbers and Wi-Fi Mac (NVRAM ERR 0x10)…..or may be others like Bluetooth which I don’t use it at all. The MtkDroidTools can restore it as I found out now.…(Doogie is bit strange with drivers when comes to work with MtkDroidTools especially when you have other MTK phones around, lol)….

You need an IMEI number on a phone to make calls, it is generally comes from the manufacturer (tend to be on your box)…as yours a tablet, may be you don’t need an IMEI number, especially if it only has Wi-Fi (not 3G). Just checked on my daughters Asus MT8125 me173x and has no IMEI number.

That 2.2gb-EBR1 for ZTE Q Mini don’t work, it only shows internal storage as 2.23GB, no phone storage card but unfortunately does not recognize my external memory card (with your scatter file and also the original one). Tried to take screenshot, and it can't save it...cant connect to PC
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
That's really weird, the external sdcard is setup in /etc/vold.fstab, which is restored via the system. Did it show after you restored? Maybe you could try doing a system restore via CWM recovery, restoring the system.

Here is also a tool for restoring nvram, qpst tools, not sure if you ever used it. If you go to program files/qualcomm/qpst/bin there is an .exe call RF NV, not located on the start menu for some odd reason. You can load your original nvram.bin using that, maybe, not sure how it works on the doogie, know it works on zte phones. ANother way of restoring nvram in qpst is using the software download, click on the download tab, browse to the nvram.bin and restore.

My tablet really did come without an IMEI number, nothing on the box. If worse came to worse, was going to go with a BYOP, if worse comes to worse, use an old phone and just swap.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
Thanks,

Just restored and it just does not like it. The only thing it shows is the Internal Storage as 2.23 - just like the way I want it. lol

But the phone Storage and SD-Card not mounted :(
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
voldfstab

SO you mean now the phone is back to original and the sdcard is still messed up? Did you look at the vold.fstab?

Do an adb pull /etc/vold.fstab and take a look, if your not sure I can. Sounds like during a flash somewhere the vold.fstab got corrupted.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
Yes, the sd card is messed up. vold.fstab looked fine (attached). It seems like it tries to mount but fails (you can see it when on the settings>Storage).
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
format maybe?

I noticed on my tablet that when I tried to format the internal storage from FAT32 to ext4 the tablet stop recognizing it, when I did this before modded EBR flash, it would give me an error that the sdcard was corrupted and to format, even when I tried partitioning in CWM. Well after the first flash, formatted the 16mb to ext4 and it worked, hid that 16mb internal storage . Then I did a flash with y scatter fixed so that he FAT and userdata matched the EBR sizes and it stopped reading the internal storge all together. Now with this new flash the internal storage reads as 4mb and when I format it to ext4 it shows 3mb and still reads it.

So, what I'm wondering is if you should just format it, first try in CWM, if that doesn't work, oh ya and backup, sucks but that might be the only option. Unfortunately, windows format isn't the most compatible solution when it comes to android formats, since android is linux.

Second option, there is an app in play store called aparted, if you can see the sdcard, and when you click to mount and see the little mount icon thingy in the status menu, but it immediately unmounts, then aparted might read it, since it can only format an, as long as the sdcard is unmounted. CWM only formats to fat32, so this might or might not work so, aparted you can try different format options, ext4, fat32, vfat and see which one it might finally like.

Last option is gparted from a usb stick, here is the link, you can boot from the stick and partition from there.

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/install-gparted-on-usb-flash-drive-using-windows/
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
I think ZTE may be different and perhaps, it's the reason it's not working..the original firmware www.ztedevices.com/support/smart_phone/c2ede6f9-114c-4b0e-bf60-35843d584790.html scatter is also different (I sent you MtkDroidTools v2.5.3 version):

PRELOADER 0x0

MBR 0x600000

EBR1 0x680000

PRO_INFO 0x700000

NVRAM 0xa00000

PROTECT_F 0xf00000

PROTECT_S 0x1900000

SECCFG 0x2300000

UBOOT 0x2320000

BOOTIMG 0x2380000

RECOVERY 0x2980000

SEC_RO 0x2f80000

MISC 0x2fc0000

LOGO 0x3040000

EXPDB 0x3340000

ANDROID 0x3d40000

CACHE 0x3c140000

USRDATA 0x53940000

FAT 0x92140000

Also noticed that the modified scatter that you sent has the same physical_start_addr as the original, perhaps it needs to be changed (see http://www.chinaphonearena.com/foru...d-new-Scatter-File-Address-for-Repartitioning). On the THL one you sent you did change the physical_start_addr. But it worked even without the scatter.

Perhaps, it needs more space for the FAT partition (2gb data & the rest internal storage)? My best guess would be that if there are no space left for an internal partition then it can't mount the external card either.

I don't know, perhaps, ZTE is more complicated as it is made by a better established company? lol
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
"...Perhaps, it needs more space for the FAT partition (2gb data & the rest internal storage)? My best guess would be that if there are no space left for an internal partition then it can't mount the external card either..."

Just had a go following your guide (1.58 gb) and still same issue, tries to mount but disappears…so phone storage and sd-card is not working. Removed SD Card, the phone storage does not load as well. Perhaps, MBR is needs to be changed?

Same card works without any formatting with the original erb1 so I am not sure whether formatting would help really.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
weirdness

This is so weird, finally figured out how to fix the EBR1 for mine to have exactly the fat and userdata partitions added together, updated the scatter, did 0xA7040000 for the userdata and 0x0 for the fat.

It's so weird but everytime I try to flash the new EBR1, it works but it only gives me 1.2gb of app space. and 1.36gb of internal storage. I have an EBR1 here that got for a different tablet, mtk6572, 'from irulu's website, it's a wet tablet, like mine but a tango. I flashed that EBR1, 1.2 gb, so I don't know if the tablet is just faulting back to that or what.

It's the right scatter and ebr1 that I updated, did it in linux, booted into windows. At least it didn't brick my android like before, but it's just strange, if you want I can do the same, it's a little more complicated, this way, but I don't know, actually the THL is very close to mine and it worked, not sure if you want to give it a shot?

WIth the ZTE, i'm not sure see when you do this, no matter what, it doesn't change the blocks maps, that's in the ram, now if there was a way to just change the blocks maps, it would work, on probably most devices.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
I tried few things, even used THL scatter file but it complains about size but just can't figure this ZTE out, lol

Just don't want to give up that easily, so close yet so far. I will try any solution now, lol

Can you double check the scatter file you sent please - a comparison is attached for your review?

Also I don't understand why the memory is low on this phone (see attachment - it shows 8gb). Someone else mentioned this as well http://software.techassistbox.com/missing-memory-on-zte-blade-q-mini_5519267.html which is odd as well with this phone
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
Not so weirdness

Ok, figured it out, forgot to update the scatter for the EBR and kept loading the 1.27 gb EBR1, :D

I know what the issue is with the EBR, it's the very last partition, the 2.0 gb, it has to be right, my numbers are right, but I just can't figure out how to take this partition from the EBR:

Partition 3: 1.998 TiB (2197353135616 bytes, 4291705343 sectors from 3261952)

and make the last two hex codes be correct, if I can figure that out, well this mod would work on all the tablets much better. I think the reason it works on the THL is because, like mine, it's a china tablet, but it works to an extent.

As for the missing memory, well, android is linux and linux doesn't read partitions the same way the windows or any other modern desktop/laptop PC does. Mine is suppose to have 512mb of ram, only shows 503mb and sometimes even 504, which I could never figure out. When I do disktype EBR1 it shows 512mb for the userdata but the tablet actually doesn't see that. I think this is an older version of using linux issue and something that android needs to work on.

Many of these android, even ZTE is a china made phone, android needs to work on, on how the file systems are read. Not sure about 4.4 but early versions of android are using older linux filing systems, even the EBR1 is written in a very old format. I tried doing a fdisk in adb shell one time and it told me that the system was an older type and it wouldn't work. Even in linux when I'm scanning the EBR files, it always says this:

Partition table scan:

MBR: MBR only

BSD: not present

APM: not present

GPT: not present

***************************************************************

Found invalid GPT and valid MBR; converting MBR to GPT format

in memory. THIS OPERATION IS POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE! Exit by

typing 'q' if you don't want to convert your MBR partitions

to GPT format!

***************************************************************

Android is smaller then your PC so you can't take a huge amount of space running an OS, the old linux systems are smaller, like the first PC, huge monster that barely held anything. Until I think I was about 23, had to install windows on several 3 1/2 inch floppy discs. Heh, my mother still has word perfect from the 90s on the 3 1/2 inch, something like 18 of them. In college I remember buying some program for graphics, can't think of the name of it now, but it took something 10 or 12 of the 8 inch floppy discs, and it cost $80.

It's kind of like misinforming the consumer yes the partition for your userdata is 512mb, which is your ram, but the phone reads it as smaller. So the manufacturer isn't lying :eek:
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
Your attached

53FC0000 = 1409024000 bytes = 1.40902 gb

90800000 = 2424307712 bytes = 2.42430 gb
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
Yes, Windows 3.1 floppys, lol

Until 23, so you are between 35 and 40? lol I remember them, I think until 21/22, can't remember, lol

Just formatted using the flashtool (yes, from Doogie experience, restored IMEI as well, lol) same issue.

---------- Post added at 10:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:12 PM ----------

The original is the zte one, modified is the one you sent me
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
Found it, yes

Okay, i'm in linux right now, so, will reboot to windows, found the forumula.

Every single EBR1 sector ends with 4294967294, your ZTE and THL and my Irulu, even the EBR1 I got from Irulu.com ends with 4294967294. All of those 4 tablets also are differant in ram size but they all end with that number.

Right here in the EBR1 using hex editor

00 00 83 00 00 00 00 06 16 00 00 C0 0B 00 00 00

00 00 83 00 00 00 00 C6 21 00 00 82 53 00 00 00

00 00 83 00 00 00 00 48 75 00 FF B7 8A FF 00 00

00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 55 AA 00

Are different in every single one, but comes out to 4294967294, that is mine modified now. I'm excited and optimistic. Here goes nothing!
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
I am kind of lost with the ZTE Mini Q now.....lol
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
hacking at a stand still

This morning the main breaker to the house blew out, limited to my tablet until Sunday.

Actually, tonight I just might be able to try on the tablet.

I figured out the math for the EBR so that it equals out to the full fat and userdata partition. Maybe my math was off somewhere for my partitions, but I can't check .

Wanted to redo the zte and thl maybe the zte has to have a zero fat.
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chinapneuk2014:
NP, hope all will be sorted...

I don't know about ZTE anymore, as mentioned before, I tried using lower size data partition and same issue. The same works for THL and Doogie. It actually shows the size. Disk Info also shows the partition. Just says Internal SD Card and External SD Card Mounting Error.

I tried http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=38618947&postcount=35 and similar, it just doesn't like it (even without changing ERB1). Looked at the boot.img and didn't see anything (Doogie - you had to change to do the swap). May be we need to change something else in android?

Let me know if you progress on this :)
[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bethnesbitt:
Cheap chinese tablet vs. name brand

I finally got on today, looking at the numbers, and this first mod works, okay with the cheap tablets, to an extent, yet, can be adjusted better. I had decided to just put an EBR on with 1gb+ of internal storage and just like the original what I noticed is that my notifications for apps like, Facebook, certain games, etc... work with the first mod, always show in the menu. Once modded, they always pop up, so right there is a bug in how the partitioning scheme is setup by the manufacturers. Come on android, lets get on the ball!

Comparing the numbers on all the different EBR/MBR on THL, ZTE, and Irulu. There are consistencies in the numbers. All three MBR partition 1 and 2 are 10MiB partition 3 is the same on all three of the MBR. ALso all of the MTK6572, in the MBR start at 2.0TIB with a sector of 4294967295 and the EBR is 1.998TiB with a sector of 4294967294.

When you subtract this partition in the MBR:

Partition 1: 2.000 TiB (2199023255040 bytes, 4294967295 sectors from 1024)

Type 0x05 (Extended)

from this partition in the EBR:

Partition 3: 1.998 TiB (2197340552704 bytes, 4291680767 sectors from 3286528)

Type 0x83 (Linux)

4294967295 - 4291680767 = 3286528

And that total is right here in the EBR:

Number Start (sector) End (sector) Size Code Name

1 1136128 1394175 126.0 MiB 8300 Linux filesystem

2 1394176 3286527 924.0 MiB 8300 Linux filesystem

3 3286528 4294967294 2.0 TiB 8300 Linux filesystem

That's the THL original, now with mine, with the mod:

4294967295-4287281151 = 7686144

Number Start (sector) End (sector) Size Code Name

1 1443328 2213375 376.0 MiB 8300 Linux filesystem

2 2213376 7686143 2.6 GiB 8300 Linux filesystem

3 7686144 4294967294 2.0 TiB 8300 Linux filesystem

SO it works, but maybe I have to find where the issue is, maybe it's in the first partition of the EBR1.

First I need to work on the Irulu, then the THL, that should help perfect the ZTE. If it hadn't been for your nerve, I would have never figured out what I had. These extra two EBR/MBR have been so helpful, you just don't know )