[MeMO Pad 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tuxic001:
Hi GhettoGirl,

(first of all: I am no native English speaker...so some things may sound wrong either technically or otherwise.

But they are not intended to do so.... :) )

I started with my ME176CX not long ago and I am still a newbie when it comes Android (haveing some experience in Linux though). Mis012 and cyandro helped me a

LOT to get more understanding and to root my tablet.

I rootet my ME176CX with the temporary cwm/twpr recovery method, which does other wonderful things possible too.

You will find links to its description here (a BIG thank you to cyandro and Mis012) and it is the thread from which I learned

so much:

http://xdaforums.com/memo-pad-7/help/asus-memopad-7-me176cx-1e041a-otg-t3156922

(The title of the thread becomes a little misleading in the meanwhile...)

The base problem (currently) with this tablet is: The bootloader is locked.

This means:

If you power on the tablet roughly the following steps happens:

1) The CPU gets power, erases its own internal RAM and registeres, does some other initializing

and finally executes a super mini mini program, which is often in its own ROM.

2) This little program call UEFI (its kinda "BIOS replacement" -- think of the BIOS screen of PCs when pressing F2/ESC/DEL while booting)

3) The UEFI looks into its configuration and calls the bootloader.

4) Finally boots the Android Linux kernel BUT only a kernel which is cryptographically "signed" by ASUS. Thats why it is called "locked".

By the way: You can get into UEFI, if you attach a powered OTG hub and an USB keyboard to the tablet, power it up and hammering "F2" while

it boots. Be careful! For the first: Dont change anything! :)

A permanent TWPR/CWM is possible, if the bootloader would boot TWPR/CWM as a kind of "kernle replacement". But since both are not

signed by ASUS...sigh.

The temporary CWM/TWPR method (and now some not-so-sure-knowledge follows) tricks the bootloader (called "fastboot") in thinking, that some

factory maintenance has to be done (like partitioning the EMMC internal flash) and therefore allows to insert a not signed boot image temporarly

into the system and boot that instead of the kernel: And if these "recovery images" are not recovery images as such but say TWPR or cwm, the

system boots into those.

And it feels and act identical (until now I did not find a difference) to a permanent TWPR/CWM recovery ... but it only can be initiated with the help of

a seconde computer (or another Android smartphone/tablet with is rooted and has a Terminal Emulator and adb/fastboot installed.

Bootloops: You are completly right here, GhettoGirl...as long the power is there, it boot loops and boot loops and.... ;)

But you already found your way into the system: COOL!

WIth the same temporary twpr/cwm method you can start TWPR and do an Nandroid backup (whole system backup) and put that onto

the external SDcard.

BUT! ATTENTION! I dont know, whether the kind of EMMc flash is important in this process, and I dont know, wheter TWPR currently don't supports

the ME176CX. The locked bootloader may the reason or an incompatible/currently not supported EMMc flash. I did a Nandroid backup but I dont test

to restore it!

I dont understand, why it does not work for you: Of what size are your SDcard?

Another way, which may be better in this moment is to backup all user data with Titanium Backup to the external SDcard. If anything fails: Reflash the last

Lollipop ROM (not the upgrade...the whole thing) with the temporary TWPR/CWM method and then install Titanium backup again and restore all user data.

This way was also NOT tested by me.

May be someone can comment on this? Mis012? Cyandro? :)

What Mis012, cyandro and me are trying to to do is to insert an UEFI bootmanager in the boot sequence BEFORE the locked bootloader. With this bootmanager

it should be possible to select either another Linux kernel (another non-locked bootloader) to boot a free and open Linux distro of your choice or even things

like Windows...or TWPR/CWM or Cyanogenmod (if one will be available...)

Since this is a work in progress with some real problems to clearify, this is currently not finished.

And: Only questions will lead to answer. Therefore: ASK! ;) ;) ;)

And I have also a question: Do you use Linux or Windows with your PC?

HTH!

Best regards,

tuxic